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Ponder J H

Q: Is Ponder J H a good school?

Ponder J H ranks 1085 th of 2359 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

1085^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,359 Texas Middle Schools

Better than 54% of Texas middle schools

Summary

Ponder J H is a middle school in Ponder, TX, serving 389 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Ponder Independent School District (Isd), a district ranked in the 63rd percentile statewide. The school has a low student-teacher ratio of 13.3:1 and a very low dropout rate, with zero dropouts reported in four of the last five years.

Ponder J H stands out as a mathematics powerhouse, especially in advanced Algebra I. In the 2025-2026 school year, an impressive 94.87% of students were proficient on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam, compared to the state average of 54.03%—a 40-point lead. This performance is on par with top nearby schools like Medlin Middle (95.18%) and Argyle Middle (92.03%). The school also outperforms state averages in 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade math, a stark contrast to many nearby schools in the Denton Independent School District (Isd) (e.g., Strickland Middle, Calhoun Middle, McMath Middle) that often fall 10-20 points below the state average in math. However, the school struggles significantly in reading, with 6th and 7th-grade reading proficiency (42.57% and 35.48%) well below state averages (53.52% and 54.04%). This is a notable weakness compared to high-performing neighbors like Harpool Middle and Argyle Middle, which are 20-30 points above the state average in reading.

Despite its math strengths, Ponder J H has experienced a clear downward trend in overall state ranking, dropping from the 82nd percentile (4 stars) in 2017-2018 to the 54th percentile (3 stars) today. A bright spot is the school's recent improvement with Special Education students, who ranked in the 78th percentile (4 stars) in 2025-2026. However, performance with Gifted and Talented students has collapsed from the 76th percentile to the 18th percentile over the same period, a major red flag. Compared to Krum Middle, just 6.45 miles away with a similar demographic profile, Ponder J H is strong in math but weak in reading, while Krum is slightly stronger in reading but significantly weaker in math. This highlights that a similar overall ranking can mask very different internal strengths and weaknesses.

389

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,976

Per pupil spending ?

43.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 W Bailey St
Ponder, TX 76259

(940) 479-8220

District: Ponder Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Ponder J H usually attend:

High:

Ponder High School

Feeder schools for Ponder J H:

Elementary:

Ponder Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

56.6%

Hispanic:

39.1%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated Texas middle schools

Compare Ponder J H to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 81st percentile in 2016 → 54th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Texas median (54th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Reading scores 11 pts below the Texas average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg46%

Texas avg47%

1,085^th of 2,359

Texas public middle schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From top 19% (2016) to top 46% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

340^th of 947Ponder Independent School District (Isd) among Texas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	48.6	1085 of 2359	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.0	1047 of 2344	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.7	959 of 2372	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.1	576 of 2330	75.3%	★★★★☆
2022	66.6	558 of 2254	75.2%	★★★★☆
2021	74.4	415 of 2252	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	60.9	682 of 2193	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.5	378 of 2080	81.8%	★★★★☆
2017	66.3	526 of 2027	74.1%	★★★★☆
2016	76.0	374 of 1987	81.2%	★★★★☆
2015	73.1	444 of 2043	78.3%	★★★★☆
2014	67.6	594 of 1987	70.1%	★★★★☆
2013	76.6	327 of 1973	83.4%	★★★★☆
2012	70.2	490 of 1951	74.9%	★★★★☆
2011	55.6	958 of 1895	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	64.8	579 of 1803	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.1	578 of 1763	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.5	759 of 1718	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	55.6	832 of 1684	50.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	53.3	456 of 1251	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.6	880 of 1213	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	45.0	1066 of 2182	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.5	724 of 2118	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.4	1121 of 2058	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.2	731 of 2008	63.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	953 of 1403	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.2	993 of 1428	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	987 of 1770	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.0	1211 of 1720	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.0	999 of 1643	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.3	536 of 1592	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.3	515 of 1445	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.5	251 of 1376	81.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	50.5	1006 of 2263	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.1	1008 of 1825	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.4	926 of 2242	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.9	731 of 2241	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.4	704 of 2221	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.8	596 of 2151	72.3%	★★★★☆
2019	49.3	979 of 2047	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.6	554 of 2008	72.4%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	34.6	1226 of 1510	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	54.2	681 of 1230	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	72.1	355 of 1481	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	70.0	403 of 1488	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	70.9	438 of 1501	70.8%	★★★★☆
2019	58.7	709 of 1446	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.5	226 of 1430	84.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	40.5	1275 of 2161	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.6	1266 of 1731	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	45.2	1078 of 2119	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.8	810 of 2116	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.1	631 of 2077	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.5	479 of 2043	76.6%	★★★★☆
2019	51.7	832 of 1935	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.2	561 of 1895	70.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	42.8	1276 of 2275	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.0	1179 of 1820	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.2	1213 of 2235	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.9	888 of 2251	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.4	673 of 2220	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.4	623 of 2172	71.3%	★★★★☆
2019	41.7	1224 of 2073	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.8	560 of 2039	72.5%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	1113 of 2274	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.8	776 of 1818	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.6	987 of 2246	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.8	445 of 2245	80.2%	★★★★☆
2022	70.2	484 of 2228	78.3%	★★★★☆
2021	81.3	274 of 2168	87.4%	★★★★☆
2019	70.1	458 of 2069	77.9%	★★★★☆
2018	80.1	275 of 2030	86.5%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	482 of 676	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.3	532 of 818	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	70.6	175 of 817	78.6%	★★★★☆
2022	70.9	168 of 813	79.3%	★★★★☆
2021	48.1	353 of 743	52.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	62.0	428 of 1974	78.3%	★★★★☆
2025	35.9	1065 of 1568	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.3	1042 of 1891	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.8	405 of 1815	77.7%	★★★★☆
2022	57.6	455 of 1757	74.1%	★★★★☆
2021	48.2	660 of 1712	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.0	567 of 1626	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.3	245 of 1597	84.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	40.7	1102 of 1743	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.6	774 of 1439	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.5	1002 of 1733	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.8	644 of 1749	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.9	662 of 1723	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.9	505 of 1700	70.3%	★★★★☆
2019	49.0	815 of 1684	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.6	494 of 1673	70.5%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2026)78th percentile+24 vs school

African American (2022)64th percentile-12 vs school

Female (2026)56th percentile~ school

At Risk (2022)51st percentile-24 vs school

Male (2026)51st percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)44th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)41st percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)37th percentile-17 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)32nd percentile-22 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)29th percentile-27 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)19th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Algebra I95%+41 vs state

Reading45%-11 vs state

Mathematics43%+4 vs state

Social Studies32%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Ponder J H

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				STAAR EOC Algebra I (2026)	STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	STAAR EOC Algebra I End of Course	STAAR Reading 6th Grade	STAAR Reading 7th Grade	STAAR Reading 8th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 6th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 7th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 8th Grade	STAAR Social Studies 8th Grade	Total
Ponder J H	Public	6-8	300 W Bailey St	Ponder	76259	Denton County	Ponder Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(940) 479-8220	389	29	13.3	43.7%	220 (56.6%)	4 (1.0%)	152 (39.1%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.3%)	48.6	1085^th of 2359 public middle schools	54.0%		51	1047^th of 2344 public middle schools	55.3%	38	94.9	42.6	35.5	57.8	49.7	33.6	50.6	32.0	$8,976
Krum Middle	Public	6-8	805 E McCart	Krum	76249	Denton County	Krum Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(940) 482-2602	569	37	15.4	39.7%	316 (55.5%)	19 (3.3%)	204 (35.9%)	4 (0.7%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	19 (3.3%)	47.8	1124^th of 2359 public middle schools	52.4%		51.5	1034^th of 2344 public middle schools	55.9%	90	84.6	56.8	59.4	59.7	29.8	7.3	35.8	30.6	$7,277
Floyd Barksdale Middle	Public	6-8	7273 Mulkey Ln	Northlake	76177	Tarrant County	Northwest Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(817) 215-0000																			(n/a)
Argyle 6th Grade Center	Public	6	800 Eagle Dr	Argyle	76226	Denton County	Argyle Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(940) 464-5100	492	27	17.8		270 (54.9%)	16 (3.3%)	63 (12.8%)	115 (23.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (4.9%)								(n/a)		76.2			61.4	100.0			$6,595
Calhoun Middle	Public	6-8	1225 Crescent St	Denton	76201	Denton County	Denton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(940) 369-2400	852	64	13.3	64.8%	232 (27.2%)	125 (14.7%)	452 (53.1%)	18 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (2.8%)	33.6	1627^th of 2359 public middle schools	31.0%		33.9	1590^th of 2344 public middle schools	32.2%	37	81.5	46.2	49.8	47.8	22.5	9.9	36.0	23.6	$11,476
New Middle	Public	7-8	750 Fm 407	Argyle	76226	Denton County	Argyle Independent School District (Isd)	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(940) 464-7240																			(n/a)
McMath Middle	Public	6-8	1900 Jason Dr	Denton	76205	Denton County	Denton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(940) 369-3300	644	56	11.5	55.0%	210 (32.6%)	111 (17.2%)	275 (42.7%)	27 (4.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.1%)	40.3	1406^th of 2359 public middle schools	40.4%		46.4	1185^th of 2344 public middle schools	49.4%	221	82.9	54.2	51.8	49.5	26.2	15.6	37.9	26.3	$10,137
Strickland Middle	Public	6-8	3003 N Bell	Denton	76209	Denton County	Denton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(940) 369-4200	956	70	13.7	65.7%	269 (28.1%)	118 (12.3%)	524 (54.8%)	12 (1.3%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (2.9%)	30.1	1730^th of 2359 public middle schools	26.7%		31.2	1689^th of 2344 public middle schools	27.9%	41	84.1	46.4	45.3	51.3	22.2	6.8	30.9	19.2	$9,740
Harpool Middle	Public	6-8	9601 Stacee Ln	Lantana	76266	Denton County	Denton Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(940) 369-1700	860	58	14.8	14.9%	559 (65.0%)	60 (7.0%)	164 (19.1%)	40 (4.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (4.1%)	84.2	242^nd of 2359 public middle schools	89.7%		88.7	174^th of 2344 public middle schools	92.6%	68	88.0	74.0	76.1	79.1	54.6	24.8	69.0	53.4	$10,817
Gene Pike Middle	Public	6-8	2288 Texan Dr	Justin	76247	Denton County	Northwest Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(817) 215-0400	1,137	70	16.3	28.8%	581 (51.1%)	133 (11.7%)	313 (27.5%)	51 (4.5%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	54 (4.7%)	59	790^th of 2359 public middle schools	66.5%		63.9	692^nd of 2344 public middle schools	70.5%	98	88.6	52.3	57.5	66.8	42.9	35.7	48.8	29.6	$8,260

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponder J H

What high school do graduates of Ponder J H attend?

Students who attend Ponder J H usually go on to attend Ponder High School

What district is Ponder J H in?

Ponder Independent School District (Isd)

What is the racial makeup of Ponder J H?

Students at Ponder J H are 57% White, 39% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend Ponder J H?

In the 2024-25 school year, 389 students attended Ponder J H.

Is Ponder J H a good school?

Ponder J H ranks 1085^th of 2359 Texas middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Ponder J H!

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Latest Texas data All new data »

2025–26 STAAR, STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 12, 2026

2021–22 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 10, 2026

2023–24 dropout rates & graduation ratesSep 17, 2025

2024–25 STAAR EOC & STAAR Spanish test scoresJun 23, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Texas Education Agency.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.