An equity score of 33/100 ranks Life School #794 of 1047 districts in Texas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,430 per pupil, Life School ranks #1111 of 1207 Texas districts by per-pupil spending (Texas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
5,498
Total Enrollment
8
Schools
$10,430
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
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 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Ellis County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,430 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 121 of 1207 Texas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Texas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 1.5% local, 80.8% state, and 17.7% 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 33/100, ranked #794 of 1047 in Texas against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (14 AP courses district-wide), a 488:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, 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. Its most demographically mixed campus is Life H S Waxahachie, with a diversity index of 64.7/100.
Its largest campus is Life School Oak Cliff, enrolling 1,483 students (26% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Life School Carrollton, at 283 students, a 5x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Life School Oak Cliff accounts for 25.9% of all Life School student enrollment
That concentration means Life School-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: combined. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
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.
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
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 combined, 1 high, 5 elementary, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 5,498 students.
How much does Life School spend per student?
Life School spends $10,430 per student. The district has an equity score of 33/100, ranking #794 in Texas.
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 33/100, ranking #794 out of 1047 districts in Texas.