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Montgomery, Alabama - 1 schools
An equity score of 59/100 ranks Life Academy #48 of 146 districts in Alabama (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,971 per pupil, Life Academy ranks #40 of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending (Alabama districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
305
Total Enrollment
1
Schools
$12,971
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Life Academy operates 1 public schools serving 305 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Alabama. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Montgomery County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,971 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 146 Alabama districts by per-pupil spending. See how Alabama compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 10.3% local, 64.1% state, and 25.5% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 59/100, ranked #48 of 146 in Alabama against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
and 23.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 93.5% African American, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% Asian across the district's schools.
Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute accounts for 100.0% of all Life Academy student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Life Academy a distant remainder — means Life Academy-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Life Academy has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 54.1% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Life Academy chronic absenteeism rate is 23.4% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Life Academy is typically wider than the Life Academy-aggregate figure suggests.
Life Academy has 1 school, including 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 305 students.
How much does Life Academy spend per student?
Life Academy spends $12,971 per student. The district has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #48 in Alabama.
What is the demographic composition of Life Academy?
Life Academy students are 93.5% African American, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% White, averaged across 1 school. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Life Academy?
Life Academy has an equity score of 59/100, ranking #48 out of 146 districts in Alabama.