Enrollment
389
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Ponder, TX
Ponder J H
Federal NCES profile for Ponder J H, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 483531011205
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 59
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ponder J H earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Ponder · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.2:1
- large classes for Texas
- 32.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Ponder J H has class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ponder J H ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Ponder, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+10% 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
What stands out at Ponder J H
Ponder J H is a mid-sized middle school in Ponder, Texas, enrolling 389 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 389 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 617 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #347.
Its student body is led by White (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 389 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
16.5% 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 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Ponder Isd also operates Ponder El (773 students) and Ponder H S (557 students) alongside Ponder J H.
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 J H compares
Ponder J H on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.0% | ▼ 48% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 389 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
389
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 73% in Texas - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
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
- 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 56.6%
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.
Student-body diversity index 52.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.6, Ponder J H 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 J H.
$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 J H Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponder El | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ponder H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ponder J H's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 773
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar middle 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 (~389 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ponder J H's federal record.
- Compare Ponder J H 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 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 16.2:1, which is 10% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Ponder, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ponder J H?
Ponder J H has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical 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 J H rank among public schools in Ponder?
By Resource Investment Index, Ponder J H ranks #2 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 J H a good school?
Ponder J H earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Texas schools. 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 J H, Ponder Isd also operates Ponder El (773 students) and Ponder H S (557 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.