Enrollment
389
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 483531011205
Ponder J H — Ponder, TX
Federal NCES profile for Ponder J H, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 59
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Ponder Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.0%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ponder J H compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Ponder J H reports 389 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the Texas average and 38% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 389 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ponder Isd spends $33,072 per pupil district-wide, above the Texas average of $17,150 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 56.7% from local sources (property taxes), 33.7% from the state, and 9.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ponder J H compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▲ 9% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.0% | ▼ 48% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 389 | top 35% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
32.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 70% in Texas — lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$33,072
per pupil, district-wide
— above Texas avg of $17,150
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 389 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 389 Top 35% in Texas — larger than 65% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.0% -48% vs state
NCES ID 483531011205
Student demographics
White 56.6%
Hispanic or Latino 39.1%
Two or More 2.3%
African American 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 56.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 389:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.5%
In-school suspensions 37
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ponder Isd, which includes Ponder J H.
$33,072
Per student
+93%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
+70%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 773
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Ponder J H
How many students attend Ponder J H?
Ponder J H has 389 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PONDER, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponder J H?
The student-teacher ratio at Ponder J H is 15.9:1, which is 9% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ponder J H?
32.0% of students at Ponder J H are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ponder J H?
The largest demographic group at Ponder J H is White at 56.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in PONDER, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ponder J H?
Ponder J H has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.