Enrollment
1,483
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 480005507849 Charter school
Life School Oak Cliff — Dallas, TX
Federal NCES profile for Life School Oak Cliff, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 31
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Life School · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
96.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.6%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Life School Oak Cliff compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Life School Oak Cliff reports 1,483 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 96.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 21% above the Texas average and 44% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 371 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Life School spends $10,308 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 1.5% from local sources (property taxes), 80.8% from the state, and 17.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Life School Oak Cliff compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▲ 2% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.6% | ▲ 21% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,483 | top 94% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
74.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 21% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 55% in Texas — lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,308
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 371 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
292
in-school suspensions + 176 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 17 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,483 Top 94% in Texas — larger than 6% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 96.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.6% +21% vs state
NCES ID 480005507849
Student demographics
African American 52.5%
Hispanic or Latino 44.6%
Two or More 1.6%
White 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 52.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 371:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.6%
In-school suspensions 292
Out-of-school suspensions 176
Expulsions 17
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Life School, which includes Life School Oak Cliff.
$10,308
Per student
-40%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-47%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,114
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 1,045
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 551
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
Similar other schools in Dallas
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy
Alternative education program
2,670 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Trinity Basin Preparatory
Standard public school
1,873 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Prek Partnership Center
Standard public school
1,295 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Anne Frank El
Standard public school
1,119 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Harmony Science Academy - Dallas
Standard public school
1,110 students 15:1 students per teacher
George W Truett El
Standard public school
987 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Life School Oak Cliff
How many students attend Life School Oak Cliff?
Life School Oak Cliff has 1,483 students enrolled. It is a other school in DALLAS, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Life School Oak Cliff?
The student-teacher ratio at Life School Oak Cliff is 14.9:1, which is 2% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Life School Oak Cliff?
74.6% of students at Life School Oak Cliff are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Life School Oak Cliff?
The largest demographic group at Life School Oak Cliff is African American at 52.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in DALLAS, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Life School Oak Cliff?
Life School Oak Cliff has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.