Choosing the best possible elementary school is critical to a child’s foundational development. In Texas, public school districts adopt curriculum standards set by the State Board of Education. The current standards, called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, outline what students should be able to learn and do in each course or grade. The curriculum is structured around the fundamentals of mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, music and reading.
We are making this task easier for you by comparing two above average elementary schools: Ponderosa Elementary School and Smith Elementary School. We compiled relevant data for you to be able to make an informed decision. Both schools are under the jurisdiction of the SPRING ISD.
Ponderosa Elementary School has a regular student population of 774 with a 14.4 students/teacher ratio while Smith Elementary School has 544 students and a student-teacher ratio of 13.9 students/teacher ratio.
Ponderosa Elementary School earned a State accountability rating of B (80-89) based on three domains: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. Scores are scaled from 0 to 100 to align with letter grades. The school scored 71 in student achievement, 93 in school progress and 77 in closing performance gaps. It scored 88 overall in post-secondary readiness, a broad term that refers to student preparedness to undertake multiple pathways after graduation, or specifically, their preparedness for college education.
On the other hand, Smith Elementary School also earned a State accountability rating of B. The school posted 67 in student achievement, 86 in school progress, 75 in closing performance gaps and 83 overall in post-secondary readiness.
A distinction designation acknowledges districts and campuses for outstanding achievement based on the outcomes of several performance indicators. Distinction designations are awarded for achievement in several areas and are based on performance relative to a group of campuses of similar type, size, grade span, and student demographics.
Ponderosa Elementary School's four out of seven distinctions are in Reading/English Language Arts (ELA), post-secondary, with 25% student progress and 25% closing performance gaps. Smith Elementary School did not earn any distinction.
Based on Racial/Ethnic Groups, Hispanics comprise the biggest group at Ponderosa Elementary School. They make up for 56.98% of student population, followed by African Americans (34.24%), Whites or Caucasians (3.49%), Native Americans (2.45%), Two or More Races (1.68%) and Asians (1.03%).
At Smith Elementary School, Hispanics are the biggest group, comprising 55.88% of student population, followed by African Americans (26.65%), Whites or Caucasians (12.32%), Two or More Races (3.68%), Native Americans (0.74%) and Asians (0.18%).
Based on household incomes, Ponderosa Elementary School’s economically disadvantaged students is slightly higher at 89.53% compared to 82.72% at Smith Elementary School.
In terms of Limited English Proficiency (LEP), a term used in the United States that refers to a person who is not fluent in the English Language, mainly because it is not their native language, Ponderosa Elementary School has a significantly higher number of English Language Learners comprising 40.83% of its student population compared to 27.21% at Smith Elementary School.
In addition, Ponderosa Elementary School has 40.31% bilingual students, 2.58% are in the gifted and talented program, while 10.21% are in the special education program. This stacks up against Smith Elementary School with 27.02% bilingual students, 4.96% gifted and talented students and 14.52% students in the special education program.
53 teachers employed at Ponderosa Elementary School have been teaching in the school for an average of about 3.8 years with individual teaching experience averaging 7.1 years. The 39 teachers at Smith Elementary School have been serving the school for an average of 6.3 years with individual teaching experience averaging 10.6 years.
Of its teaching staff, Ponderosa Elementary School no teacher serving the school for over 30 years, has two teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, 14 teachers have worked for 11-20 years, nine teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while 16 teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including 13 beginning teachers. Smith Elementary School no teacher serving the school for over 30 years, has seven teachers serving the school for 20-30 years, ten teachers have worked for 11-20 years, nine teachers have worked for 6-10 years, while ten teachers have been serving the school for over 1-5 years, including four beginning teachers.
In both schools, female teachers outnumber the male teachers. At Ponderosa Elementary School there are 47 female teachers and six male teachers. Of its teaching staff, five special education teachers are being assisted by 14 teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has two staff members in the school administration department and six more working as school support staff.
At Smith Elementary School there are 34 female teachers and five male teachers. Of its teaching staff, four special education teachers are being assisted by 13 teachers aides or paraprofessionals. In addition to its teaching staff, the school has one staff members in the school administration department and five more working as school support staff.
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