Enrollment
283
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Carrollton, TX
Life School Carrollton
Federal NCES profile for Life School Carrollton, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 480005513849Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Life School Carrollton earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Texas schools.
- #2 of 5
- elementary schools in Carrollton · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.6:1
- large classes for Texas
- 51.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Life School Carrollton has class sizes larger than 77% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Life School Carrollton ranks #2 of 5 elementary schools in Carrollton, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.6:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Life School Carrollton compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Life School Carrollton
Life School Carrollton is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Carrollton, Texas, enrolling 283 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 51.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 283 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 780 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #550.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (49%) and African American (33%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 283 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Life School spends $10,257 per pupil, 25% below the Texas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 66 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 283 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Life School also operates Life School Oak Cliff (1,483 students) and Life H S Waxahachie (1,114 students) alongside Life School Carrollton.
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 School Carrollton compares
Life School Carrollton on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.6:1 | ▲ 13% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.9% | ▼ 16% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 283 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.6:1
Leaner classes than 33% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
283
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.6:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 77% in Texas - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.3%
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
$10,257
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 283 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 23.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 49.1%
African American 32.9%
White 10.6%
Two or More 6.7%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.5, Life School Carrollton is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Life School, which includes Life School Carrollton.
$10,257
Per student
-25%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.5%
State 80.8%
Federal 17.7%
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.
How Life School Carrollton Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life School Oak Cliff | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Life H S Waxahachie | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Life School Red Oak | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Life Middle Waxahachie | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Life School Lancaster | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Life School Carrollton's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,483
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,114
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,045
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 551
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~283 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Life School Carrollton's federal record.
- Compare Life School Carrollton against another school. Compare schools
- Life School'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 School Carrollton
How many students attend Life School Carrollton?
Life School Carrollton has 283 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Carrollton, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Life School Carrollton?
The student-teacher ratio at Life School Carrollton is 16.6:1, which is 13% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Life School Carrollton?
51.9% of students at Life School Carrollton are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Life School Carrollton?
The largest demographic group at Life School Carrollton is Hispanic or Latino at 49.1% of enrollment, in Carrollton, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Life School Carrollton?
Life School Carrollton has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Life School Carrollton rank among elementary schools in Carrollton?
By Resource Investment Index, Life School Carrollton ranks #2 of 5 elementary schools in Carrollton, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Carrollton on the city page.
Is Life School Carrollton a good school?
Life School Carrollton earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Texas 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 School?
Besides Life School Carrollton, Life School also operates Life School Oak Cliff (1,483 students), Life H S Waxahachie (1,114 students), and Life School Red Oak (1,045 students). See the Life School 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.