LIFE SCHOOL operates 8 public schools serving 5,498 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Texas. The school portfolio breaks down into 5 elementary, 1 other, 1 high, 1 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 5,735 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Ellis County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,308 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 1.5% local, 80.8% state, and 17.7% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. The district's equity score — 29/100, ranked #891 of 1044 in Texas against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (14 AP courses district-wide), a 488:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 23.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 45.6% Hispanic or Latino, 42.2% African American, 8.4% White across the district's schools.
Life School Oak Cliff accounts for 25.9% of all LIFE SCHOOL student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means LIFE SCHOOL-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: other. 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 SCHOOL school enrollment varies 5.2× across entities
LIFE SCHOOL school enrollment ranges from 283 students (lowest) to 1,483 students (highest), a spread of 1,200 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio — most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
LIFE SCHOOL has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 57.7% 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 SCHOOL student-counselor ratio is 488:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
LIFE SCHOOL chronic absenteeism rate is 23.3% — 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 SCHOOL is typically wider than the LIFE SCHOOL-aggregate figure suggests.
LIFE SCHOOL has 8 schools, including 1 other, 1 high, 5 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 5,498 students.
How much does LIFE SCHOOL spend per student?
LIFE SCHOOL spends $10,308 per student. The district has an equity score of 29/100, ranking #891 in Texas.
What is the average rent near LIFE SCHOOL?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Ellis County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of LIFE SCHOOL?
LIFE SCHOOL students are 45.6% Hispanic or Latino, 42.2% African American, 8.4% White, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for LIFE SCHOOL?
LIFE SCHOOL has an equity score of 29/100, ranking #891 out of 1044 districts in Texas. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.