Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Ponder

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
B+

Ponder Independent School District

Public school districtGrades PK–12Regional · 2 towns

Serves Ponder and DISH, and parts of Denton.

Ponder’s School Grade B+ better than 71% of Texas school districts

Students
1,719
Schools
3
Spent per student
$11,624
TX $12,815
Students per teacher
14:1
Free or reduced lunch
42%
Debt
$68.6M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Ponder Independent School District

  • Its letter, B+: results better than 71% of Texas districts
  • Math proficiency 8 pts above the state
  • Graduation rate 7 pts above the state
  • Spends 9% less per student than the TX average
  • 14 students per teacher
  • Enrollment up 8.5% since 2020–21
  • Debt of $68.6M, about $39,892 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B+: better than 71% of the 1,191 Texas school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well above the state, 2021–22
B+
GraduationFour-year graduation well above the state, class of 2023
B
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
B+Ponder 2,863DISH 525

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Ponder. Grade by grade →

PK–5Ponder ElThis district
6–8Ponder J HThis district
9–12Ponder H SThis district

Test scores vs. TX

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency49%
State average 40.9% · 856 students tested
Reading / language arts54%
State average 51.1% · 875 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)95–100%
State average 90.3% · 109 in the class

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$11,624 per student · 9% below TX
Spending
Classroom instruction 58%Support & administration 38%Other 4%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 64%State 33%Federal 3%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
1,585’20
1,677’23
1,719’24

Up 8.5% since 2020–21.

Students
White 57%Hispanic 38%Two or more races 3%Black 1%Asian <1%American Indian/Alaska Native <1%

Schools in the district

3 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Texas’s other public schools.

Ponder El
Elementary · Grades PK–5 · Ponder
B
773 students15:1
Ponder J H
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Ponder
A−
389 students13:1
Ponder H S
High · Grades 9–12 · Ponder
A
557 students12:1

Left off: 1 school reporting no students for 2024–25.

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Denton Independent School DistrictCorinth, Shady Shores
$11,854per student
Argyle Independent School DistrictArgyle
$10,905per student
Krum Independent School DistrictKrum
$11,032per student
Lake Dallas Independent School DistrictCorinth
$11,970per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Texas.