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Ponderosa Elementary

Q: Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.1% of Texas elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 740 students attended Ponderosa Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?

Students at Ponderosa Elementary are 62% Hispanic, 30% African American, 4% White, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Ponderosa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Edwin M Wells Middle High : Westfield High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

4531^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 4,627 Texas Elementary Schools

Better than 2% of Texas elementary schools

Summary

Ponderosa Elementary in Houston, TX, is a PK-5 school in the Spring Independent School District (Isd) serving 740 students in a high-poverty area where about 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has experienced a severe academic decline over the past decade, dropping from a 2-star rating in the 36th percentile statewide in 2016-2017 to a 0-star rating in the bottom 2nd percentile for the 2025-2026 school year, placing it among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Texas.

Test scores at Ponderosa are critically low compared to district and state averages, and significantly lower than nearby schools. In the 2025-2026 school year, only 13% of 3rd graders and 19.8% of 4th graders were proficient in Math, roughly half the already-low district average and less than a third of the state average. Nearby Meyer Elementary (1.5 miles away) achieved 44.7% and 55.3% proficiency in the same grades. The 5th-grade Science proficiency rate for 2024-2025 was just 2.86%, the lowest among comparable schools, while Ralph Eickenroht Elementary (2.5 miles away) achieved 20.3% and the state average was 29.6%. Interestingly, Ponderosa's Spanish-language STAAR scores are often higher than its English-language scores, suggesting its bilingual program may be relatively more effective than its general education program.

Ponderosa spends $7,474 per student, significantly less than struggling peers like Ralph Eickenroht Elementary ($12,807) and Helen Major Elementary ($11,898), highlighting a potential resource gap. The contrast with nearby Klein Independent School District (Isd) schools is stark: Haude Elementary and Lemm Elementary, just 2 miles away, serve a less impoverished population and achieve top-quartile state rankings (70th-80th percentile), showing how district boundaries can create vastly different educational realities for students in the same community.

740

Students ?

17.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,381

Per pupil spending ?

87.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17202 Butte Creek Rd
Houston, TX 77090-2322

(281) 891-8180

District: Spring Independent School District (Isd)

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Edwin M Wells Middle
High:	Westfield High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

62.4%

African American:

29.6%

White:

4.1%

See top rated Texas elementary schools

Compare Ponderosa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2016 → 2nd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Texas average (21% vs 50% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school21%

District avg37%

Texas avg50%

4,531^st of 4,627

Texas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 10 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Texas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

25^th of 25Elementary Schools in the Spring Independent School District (Isd)

742^nd of 951Spring 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	8.4	4531 of 4627	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.4	4609 of 4651	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	4497 of 4710	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.4	3672 of 4647	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.9	3012 of 4581	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.3	2599 of 4578	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.4	2472 of 4479	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.1	2938 of 4359	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.3	2754 of 4329	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	18.8	3777 of 4286	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.8	3261 of 4320	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	48.7	2408 of 4260	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	36.7	3053 of 4221	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	35.0	3153 of 4206	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	33.4	3241 of 4095	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.2	3152 of 3937	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	50.6	2220 of 3884	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	66.6	1271 of 3768	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	65.2	1356 of 3724	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.4	1620 of 3476	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	68.5	1076 of 3475	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	76.0	637 of 3465	81.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	18.1	2241 of 2406	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.3	1814 of 1905	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.5	2251 of 2443	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	44.0	1292 of 2443	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	45.1	1268 of 2421	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.4	1218 of 2444	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.3	1192 of 2515	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.2	1741 of 2483	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆

At Risk

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2022	53.6	1843 of 4461	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.7	1719 of 4331	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.7	2427 of 4295	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.4	1853 of 4240	56.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2025	10.6	2849 of 2918	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	3428 of 3668	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	62.2	1044 of 3556	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	62.3	989 of 3487	71.6%	★★★★☆
2021	61.8	919 of 3446	73.3%	★★★★☆
2019	70.8	612 of 3333	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	81.3	302 of 3226	90.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	13.8	4339 of 4575	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.6	3688 of 3744	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	4399 of 4658	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	3494 of 4588	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.6	2790 of 4561	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.5	2503 of 4499	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.5	2144 of 4348	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	39.3	2662 of 4306	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	41.0	2350 of 3075	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	6.5	2571 of 2619	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	53.9	1697 of 2958	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	75.9	612 of 3006	79.6%	★★★★☆
2019	72.2	648 of 3184	79.6%	★★★★☆
2018	64.8	1209 of 3106	61.1%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	4252 of 4413	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	8.4	3594 of 3644	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	4148 of 4465	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	34.1	3154 of 4401	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	52.9	1901 of 4376	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.9	1641 of 4329	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.2	1434 of 4188	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.5	1625 of 4168	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	14.9	4329 of 4520	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.6	3637 of 3705	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	4381 of 4594	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.8	3594 of 4521	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.6	2585 of 4477	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.5	2134 of 4451	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.3	1542 of 4309	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.6	2525 of 4264	40.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	8.0	4507 of 4582	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.8	3682 of 3739	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	4519 of 4647	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.0	3770 of 4585	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.0	3199 of 4563	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.2	2657 of 4498	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.6	2761 of 4357	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.6	3145 of 4319	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2019	56.6	479 of 1112	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2024	11.3	6 of 6	0.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.8	2 of 9	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	89.1	2 of 25	92.0%	★★★★★
2018	95.2	1 of 23	95.7%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2026	21.5	3940 of 4301	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	30.9	2659 of 3549	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.7	2855 of 4292	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	14.8	3976 of 4086	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.3	3849 of 3952	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	66.6	675 of 3799	82.2%	★★★★☆
2019	45.8	1672 of 3684	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	27.5	2888 of 3558	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Texas percentile	Rating
2021	28.4	2412 of 3082	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.3	1885 of 3142	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.1	1770 of 3127	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

At Risk (2022)59th percentile+24 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)57th percentile+12 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)24th percentile+22 vs school

White (2021)22nd percentile-21 vs school

Special Education (2026)8th percentile+6 vs school

African American (2026)7th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)5th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)4th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Native American (2024)<1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Texas (2025-2026) ?

Reading28%-26 vs state

Mathematics21%-27 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, August 24, 2019

Excellent staff they really care about your child. Close Quote

Schools Near Ponderosa Elementary

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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 Spanish Reading (2026)			STAAR Spanish Mathematics (2026)			STAAR Reading (2026)			STAAR Mathematics (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	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 Spanish Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Spanish Mathematics 5th Grade	STAAR Reading 3rd Grade	STAAR Reading 4th Grade	STAAR Reading 5th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	STAAR Mathematics 4th Grade	STAAR Mathematics 5th Grade	Total
Ponderosa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	17202 Butte Creek Rd	Houston	77090	Harris County	Spring Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 891-8180	740	42	17.5	87.2%	30 (4.1%)	219 (29.6%)	462 (62.4%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	21 (2.8%)	8.4	4531^st of 4627 public elementary schools	2.1%		5.4	4609^th of 4651 public elementary schools	0.9%	78	0.0	20.0	15.0	4.8	0.0	10.0	19.7	26.2	36.1	13.0	19.8	26.9	$9,381
Helen Major Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	16855 Sugar Pine Dr	Houston	77090	Harris County	Spring Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 891-8870	567	33	17.0	94.4%	8 (1.4%)	260 (45.9%)	272 (48.0%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.5%)	17.7	4167^th of 4627 public elementary schools	9.9%		21.3	3956^th of 4651 public elementary schools	14.9%	211	21.7	6.3	6.3	0.0	0.0	12.5	17.3	25.3	31.2	32.8	34.5	39.3	$10,340
Bammel Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	17309 Red Oak Dr	Houston	77090	Harris County	Spring Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 891-8150	697	38	18.1	90.5%	24 (3.4%)	408 (58.5%)	234 (33.6%)	7 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.2%)	17.1	4187^th of 4627 public elementary schools	9.5%		8.8	4518^th of 4651 public elementary schools	2.9%	331	0.0	20.0	0.0		0.0		21.0	37.3	39.8	26.4	31.0	33.7	$9,431
Meyer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	16330 Forest Way Dr	Houston	77090	Harris County	Spring Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 891-8270	680	45	15.1	88.4%	8 (1.2%)	265 (39.0%)	382 (56.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	22 (3.2%)	37.8	2904^th of 4627 public elementary schools	37.2%		32.5	3285^th of 4651 public elementary schools	29.4%	381	4.4		28.6	14.3			32.1	36.5	46.9	44.7	55.3	41.2	$10,254
Benfer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	18027b Kuykendahl Rd	Klein	77379	Harris County	Klein Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(832) 484-6000	683	47	14.5	66.6%	124 (18.2%)	164 (24.0%)	315 (46.1%)	31 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	47 (6.9%)	64.7	1362^nd of 4627 public elementary schools	70.6%		64.2	1370^th of 4651 public elementary schools	70.5%	8							65.7	45.8	69.6	45.1	52.9	59.4	$8,407
Lemm Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	19034 Joanleigh Dr	Klein	77388	Harris County	Klein Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(832) 484-6300	618	42	14.8	47.6%	172 (27.8%)	138 (22.3%)	232 (37.5%)	53 (8.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.4%)	67	1261^st of 4627 public elementary schools	72.7%		55.2	1828^th of 4651 public elementary schools	60.7%	567							55.2	56.2	63.0	55.3	59.6	51.4	$9,169
Carolee Booker Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	22352 Imperial Valley Dr	Houston	77373	Harris County	Spring Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 891-8750	726	44	16.4	87.2%	12 (1.7%)	197 (27.1%)	495 (68.2%)	8 (1.1%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.1%)	28.3	3544^th of 4627 public elementary schools	23.4%		19.8	4035^th of 4651 public elementary schools	13.2%	491	27.3		16.7				30.4	37.2	40.4	28.4	51.3	37.4	$9,242
Haude Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7072 Fm 2920	Klein	77379	Harris County	Klein Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	No	(832) 484-5600	532	39	13.8	51.3%	170 (32.0%)	110 (20.7%)	190 (35.7%)	23 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	36 (6.8%)	79.1	789^th of 4627 public elementary schools	82.9%		79.5	766^th of 4651 public elementary schools	83.5%	23							63.6	71.9	72.0	61.5	62.2	51.5	$8,841
Pat Reynolds Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3975 Gladeridge Dr	Houston	77068	Harris County	Spring Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 891-8240	877	51	17.1	79.6%	41 (4.7%)	321 (36.6%)	442 (50.4%)	37 (4.2%)	11 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (2.9%)	32.8	3234^th of 4627 public elementary schools	30.1%		20.1	4019^th of 4651 public elementary schools	13.6%	785	33.3		20.0				41.3	33.1	53.2	34.6	38.7	44.0	$9,980
Ralph Eickenroht Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	15252 Grand Point Dr	Houston	77090	Harris County	Spring Independent School District (Isd)	No	No	(n/a)	Yes	(281) 891-8840	574	36	16.0	91.8%	10 (1.7%)	265 (46.2%)	284 (49.5%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.9%)	11.6	4434^th of 4627 public elementary schools	4.2%		18.3	4120^th of 4651 public elementary schools	11.4%	314	10.0	57.9	30.8	25.0	38.9	33.3	6.6	19.1	30.4	15.0	34.9	35.1	$10,435

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponderosa Elementary

Is Ponderosa Elementary a good school?

Ponderosa Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.1% of Texas elementary schools.

How many students attend Ponderosa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 740 students attended Ponderosa Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Ponderosa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ponderosa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Edwin M Wells Middle
High : Westfield High School

What is the racial makeup of Ponderosa Elementary?

Students at Ponderosa Elementary are 62% Hispanic, 30% African American, 4% White, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Ponderosa Elementary in?

Spring Independent School District (Isd)

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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.