diff --git a/adafruit_display_text/__init__.py b/adafruit_display_text/__init__.py
index 3919dbb..246f54e 100644
--- a/adafruit_display_text/__init__.py
+++ b/adafruit_display_text/__init__.py
@@ -220,6 +220,7 @@ def __init__(
         super().__init__(max_size=1, x=x, y=y, scale=1, **kwargs)
 
         self._font = font
+        self._ascent, self._descent = self._get_ascent_descent()
         self.palette = Palette(2)
         self._color = color
         self._background_color = background_color
@@ -244,7 +245,7 @@ def __init__(
         if self.base_alignment:
             self._y_offset = 0
         else:
-            self._y_offset = self._get_ascent() // 2
+            self._y_offset = self._ascent // 2
 
     def _get_ascent_descent(self) -> Tuple[int, int]:
         """ Private function to calculate ascent and descent font values """
@@ -267,9 +268,6 @@ def _get_ascent_descent(self) -> Tuple[int, int]:
                 descender_max = max(descender_max, -this_glyph.dy)
         return ascender_max, descender_max
 
-    def _get_ascent(self) -> int:
-        return self._get_ascent_descent()[0]
-
     @property
     def font(self) -> None:
         """Font to use for text display."""
diff --git a/adafruit_display_text/bitmap_label.py b/adafruit_display_text/bitmap_label.py
index a9daedd..5769325 100755
--- a/adafruit_display_text/bitmap_label.py
+++ b/adafruit_display_text/bitmap_label.py
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ def _reset_text(
             if self.base_alignment:
                 label_position_yoffset = 0
             else:
-                label_position_yoffset = self._get_ascent() // 2
+                label_position_yoffset = self._ascent // 2
 
             self.tilegrid = displayio.TileGrid(
                 self.bitmap,
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ def _line_spacing_ypixels(font, line_spacing: float) -> int:
     def _text_bounding_box(
         self, text: str, font, line_spacing: float
     ) -> Tuple[int, int, int, int, int, int]:
-        ascender_max, descender_max = self._get_ascent_descent()
+        ascender_max, descender_max = self._ascent, self._descent
 
         lines = 1
 
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ def _text_bounding_box(
         right = x_start
         top = bottom = y_start
 
-        y_offset_tight = self._get_ascent() // 2
+        y_offset_tight = self._ascent // 2
 
         newline = False
 
diff --git a/adafruit_display_text/label.py b/adafruit_display_text/label.py
index 3fbd0fb..f10f19b 100755
--- a/adafruit_display_text/label.py
+++ b/adafruit_display_text/label.py
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ def _create_background_box(self, lines: int, y_offset: int) -> None:
             y_box_offset = self._bounding_box[1]
 
         else:  # draw a "loose" bounding box to include any ascenders/descenders.
-            ascent, descent = self._get_ascent_descent()
+            ascent, descent = self._ascent, self._descent
 
             if (
                 self._label_direction == "UPR"
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ def _update_background_color(self, new_color: int) -> None:
         self._background_color = new_color
 
         lines = self._text.rstrip("\n").count("\n") + 1
-        y_offset = self._get_ascent() // 2
+        y_offset = self._ascent // 2
 
         if not self._added_background_tilegrid:  # no bitmap is in the self Group
             # add bitmap if text is present and bitmap sizes > 0 pixels
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ def _update_text(
         if self.base_alignment:
             self._y_offset = 0
         else:
-            self._y_offset = self._get_ascent() // 2
+            self._y_offset = self._ascent // 2
 
         if self._label_direction == "RTL":
             left = top = bottom = 0