Enrollment
222
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St.Louis, MO
Lift for Life Academy Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Lift for Life Academy Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 290057403356Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 9
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lift for Life Academy Elem. earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in St.Louis · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 95.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Lift for Life Academy Elem. has class sizes larger than 78% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lift for Life Academy Elem. ranks #1 of 3 schools in St.Louis, MO.
School address
District: Lift for Life Academy · Missouri
NCES ID 290057403356 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
95.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+108% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lift for Life Academy Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lift for Life Academy Elem.
Lift for Life Academy Elem. is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in St.Louis, Missouri, enrolling 222 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 95.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 222 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 153 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #116, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 222 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Lift for Life Academy also operates Lift for Life Academy High Sch (383 students) and Lift for Life Academy (260 students) alongside Lift for Life Academy Elem..
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 Lift for Life Academy Elem. compares
Lift for Life Academy Elem. on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.8:1 | ▲ 16% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.8% | ▲ 108% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 222 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
222
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 108% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 78% in Missouri - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
36.5%
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
$15,214
per pupil, district-wide
- above Missouri avg of $12,931
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 222 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.3 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
African American 97.7%
Two or More 1.4%
Hispanic or Latino 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 97.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.5, Lift for Life Academy Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lift for Life Academy, which includes Lift for Life Academy Elem..
$15,214
Per student
+18%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.7%
State 55.0%
Federal 24.3%
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 Lift for Life Academy Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lift for Life Academy High Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lift for Life Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lift for Life Academy Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Missouri, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~222 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lift for Life Academy Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Lift for Life Academy Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Lift for 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 Lift for Life Academy Elem.
How many students attend Lift for Life Academy Elem.?
Lift for Life Academy Elem. has 222 students enrolled. It is a public school in St.Louis, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lift for Life Academy Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Lift for Life Academy Elem. is 14.8:1, which is 16% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lift for Life Academy Elem.?
95.8% of students at Lift for Life Academy Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lift for Life Academy Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Lift for Life Academy Elem. is African American at 97.7% of enrollment, in St.Louis, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lift for Life Academy Elem.?
Lift for Life Academy Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Lift for Life Academy Elem. rank among schools in St.Louis?
By Resource Investment Index, Lift for Life Academy Elem. ranks #1 of 3 schools in St.Louis, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in St.Louis on the city page.
Is Lift for Life Academy Elem. a good school?
Lift for Life Academy Elem. earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri 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 Lift for Life Academy?
Besides Lift for Life Academy Elem., Lift for Life Academy also operates Lift for Life Academy High Sch (383 students) and Lift for Life Academy (260 students). See the Lift for Life Academy 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.