Enrollment
198
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Brooklyn, NY
Life Academy High School for Film and Music
Federal NCES profile for Life Academy High School for Film and Music, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 360015205940
👥 S:T ratio 66
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Life Academy High School for Film and Music earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of New York schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools.
- #9 of 121
- high schools in Brooklyn · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.6:1
- small classes for New York
- 83.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Life Academy High School for Film and Music has class sizes smaller than 86% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Life Academy High School for Film and Music ranks #9 of 121 high schools in Brooklyn, NY.
School address
District: New York City Geographic District #21 · New York
NCES ID 360015205940 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.6:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.3%
vs 56.2% New York avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Life Academy High School for Film and Music compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Life Academy High School for Film and Music
Life Academy High School for Film and Music is a high-poverty, small high school in Brooklyn, New York, enrolling 198 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.6:1, Life Academy High School for Film and Music is leaner than roughly 86% of New York schools and 27% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 83.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 198 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 4,801 New York schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 380 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #27, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (44%) and White (35%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
New York City Geographic District #21 also operates Edward R Murrow High School (3,503 students) and Abraham Lincoln High School (2,210 students) alongside Life Academy High School for Film and Music.
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 High School for Film and Music compares
Life Academy High School for Film and Music on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.6:1 | ▼ 27% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.3% | ▲ 48% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 198 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.6:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
198
Bigger than 19% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
83.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% above the New York average of 56.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.6:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 14% in New York - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
Hispanic or Latino 44.4%
White 34.8%
Asian 11.6%
African American 7.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.2, Life Academy High School for Film and Music is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
How Life Academy High School for Film and Music Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edward R Murrow High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Abraham Lincoln High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John Dewey High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Is 228 David a Boody | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Is 98 Bay Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Life Academy High School for Film and Music's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,503
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 2,209
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,555
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,435
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~198 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Life Academy High School for Film and Music's federal record.
- Compare Life Academy High School for Film and Music against another school. Compare schools
- New York City Geographic District #21'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 High School for Film and Music
How many students attend Life Academy High School for Film and Music?
Life Academy High School for Film and Music has 198 students enrolled. It is a high school in Brooklyn, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Life Academy High School for Film and Music?
The student-teacher ratio at Life Academy High School for Film and Music is 8.6:1, which is 27% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 45% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Life Academy High School for Film and Music?
83.3% of students at Life Academy High School for Film and Music are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Life Academy High School for Film and Music?
The largest demographic group at Life Academy High School for Film and Music is Hispanic or Latino at 44.4% of enrollment, in Brooklyn, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Life Academy High School for Film and Music?
Life Academy High School for Film and Music has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Life Academy High School for Film and Music rank among high schools in Brooklyn?
By Resource Investment Index, Life Academy High School for Film and Music ranks #9 of 121 high schools in Brooklyn, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Brooklyn on the city page.
Is Life Academy High School for Film and Music a good school?
Life Academy High School for Film and Music earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of New York schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York 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 New York City Geographic District #21?
Besides Life Academy High School for Film and Music, New York City Geographic District #21 also operates Edward R Murrow High School (3,503 students), Abraham Lincoln High School (2,210 students), and John Dewey High School (2,209 students). See the New York City Geographic District #21 district page for the complete list.
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.