Enrollment
1,483
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dallas, TX
Life School Oak Cliff
Federal NCES profile for Life School Oak Cliff, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 480005507849Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Life School Oak Cliff earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #134 of 232
- schools in Dallas · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.4:1
- students per teacher
- 74.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Life School Oak Cliff has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Life School Oak Cliff ranks #134 of 232 schools in Dallas, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
96.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+5% 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
What stands out at Life School Oak Cliff
Life School Oak Cliff is a higher-need, large charter combined-grade school in Dallas, Texas, enrolling 1,483 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 74.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Texas, bigger than 94% of state schools at 1,483 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 349 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #125.
Its student body is led by African American (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (45%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 371 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data 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: 468 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,483 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 17 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Life School also operates Life H S Waxahachie (1,114 students) and Life School Red Oak (1,045 students) alongside Life School Oak Cliff.
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 Oak Cliff compares
Life School Oak Cliff on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.4:1 | ▲ 5% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.6% | ▲ 21% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,483 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.4:1
Leaner classes than 43% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,483
Bigger than 96% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
15.4:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 64% in Texas - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
27.6%
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
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 52.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.5, Life School Oak Cliff is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Life School, which includes Life School Oak Cliff.
$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 Oak Cliff Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life H S Waxahachie | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Life School Red Oak | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Life Middle Waxahachie | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Life School Lancaster | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Life School Cedar Hill | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Life School Oak Cliff's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other 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 (~1,483 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Life School Oak Cliff's federal record.
- Compare Life School Oak Cliff 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 Oak Cliff
How many students attend Life School Oak Cliff?
Life School Oak Cliff has 1,483 students enrolled. It is a public 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 15.4:1, which is 5% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Dallas, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Life School Oak Cliff?
Life School Oak Cliff has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Life School Oak Cliff rank among schools in Dallas?
By Resource Investment Index, Life School Oak Cliff ranks #134 of 232 schools in Dallas, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Dallas on the city page.
Is Life School Oak Cliff a good school?
Life School Oak Cliff earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 Oak Cliff, Life School also operates Life H S Waxahachie (1,114 students), Life School Red Oak (1,045 students), and Life Middle Waxahachie (551 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.