Enrollment
599
Alabama · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Montgomery, AL
Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute
Federal NCES profile for Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 010020702502Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Alabama schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools.
- #7 of 7
- elementary schools in Montgomery · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 49.9:1
- large classes for Alabama
- 54.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute has class sizes larger than 99% of Alabama schools. Computed live against every Alabama school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute ranks #7 of 7 elementary schools in Montgomery, AL.
School address
District: Life Academy · Alabama
NCES ID 010020702502 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
49.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Alabama avg
+182% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.1%
vs 58.8% Alabama avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute compares with Alabama and U.S. medians
What stands out at Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute
Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Montgomery, Alabama, enrolling 599 students.
Class loads run heavy: 49.9:1 is larger than about 99% of Alabama schools and 182% above the 17.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 54.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 599 puts it in the larger third of Alabama schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,365 Alabama schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 470 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Alabama schools statewide, it ranks #456, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 25.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Montgomery's elementary schools, it stands alongside Forest Avenue Elementary School (617 students): Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (49.9:1 vs 17.1:1).
Life Academy is a single-school charter district, so Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute compares
Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute on the metrics families compare, against Alabama and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Alabama | Alabama avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 49.9:1 | ▲ 182% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.1% | ▼ 8% | 58.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 599 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
49.9:1
Leaner classes than 0% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
599
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% below the Alabama average of 58.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
49.9:1
students per teacher
- 182% above state mean
Top 99% in Alabama - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
23.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,971
per pupil, district-wide
- above Alabama avg of $12,491
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 93.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.7%
Two or More 2.5%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
White 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 93.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.4, Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute is less mixed than the Alabama school average of 42.5.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Life Academy, which includes Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute.
$12,971
Per student
+4%
vs Alabama
Avg $12,491
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.3%
State 64.1%
Federal 25.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Similar elementary schools in Montgomery
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Forest Avenue Elementary School
Standard public school
617 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Brewbaker Intermediate School
Standard public school
549 students 22:1 students per teacher
Bear Exploration Center
Standard public school
507 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Lead Academy Building B
Standard public school
394 students 32.8:1 students per teacher
Macmillan International at Mckee
Standard public school
386 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Lead Academy Building a
Standard public school
358 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Alabama, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~599 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute's federal record.
- Compare Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute against another school. Compare schools
- Life Academy's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute
How many students attend Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute?
Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute has 599 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Montgomery, AL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute?
The student-teacher ratio at Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute is 49.9:1, which is 182% higher than the Alabama average of 17.7:1 and 218% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute?
54.1% of students at Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Alabama average of 58.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute?
The largest demographic group at Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute is African American at 93.5% of enrollment, in Montgomery, AL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute?
Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute rank among elementary schools in Montgomery?
By Resource Investment Index, Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute ranks #7 of 7 elementary schools in Montgomery, AL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Montgomery on the city page.
Is Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute a good school?
Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Alabama schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Alabama schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Life Academy?
None; Life Academy is a single-school charter district, and Life Academy at Historic St Jude Educational Institute is its only campus.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.