Enrollment
773
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ponder, TX
Ponder El
Federal NCES profile for Ponder El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483531003991
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ponder El earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Ponder · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 36.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Ponder El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ponder El ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ponder, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ponder El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ponder El
Ponder El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Ponder, Texas, enrolling 773 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 36.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 773 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,053 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #197.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 387 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
13.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Ponder Isd also operates Ponder H S (557 students) and Ponder J H (389 students) alongside Ponder El.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ponder El compares
Ponder El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.8:1 | ▲ 7% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.6% | ▼ 41% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 773 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
773
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 69% in Texas - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,448
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 387 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 56.1%
Hispanic or Latino 38.8%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 56.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.3, Ponder El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ponder Isd, which includes Ponder El.
$11,448
Per student
-16%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.7%
State 33.7%
Federal 9.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Ponder El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponder H S | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ponder J H | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ponder El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~773 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ponder El's federal record.
- Compare Ponder El against another school. Compare schools
- Ponder Isd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Ponder El
How many students attend Ponder El?
Ponder El has 773 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ponder, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponder El?
The student-teacher ratio at Ponder El is 15.8:1, which is 7% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ponder El?
36.6% of students at Ponder El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ponder El?
The largest demographic group at Ponder El is White at 56.1% of enrollment, in Ponder, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ponder El?
Ponder El has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Ponder El rank among public schools in Ponder?
By Resource Investment Index, Ponder El ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Ponder, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Ponder on the city page.
Is Ponder El a good school?
Ponder El earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ponder Isd?
Besides Ponder El, Ponder Isd also operates Ponder H S (557 students) and Ponder J H (389 students). See the Ponder Isd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.