Enrollment
260
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · St Louis, MO
Lift for Life Academy
Federal NCES profile for Lift for Life Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 290057402828Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 83
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lift for Life Academy earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Missouri schools.
- #24 of 47
- elementary schools in St Louis · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.4:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 98.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Lift for Life Academy has class sizes smaller than 78% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lift for Life Academy ranks #24 of 47 elementary schools in St Louis, MO.
School address
District: Lift for Life Academy · Missouri
NCES ID 290057402828 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.4:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+114% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lift for Life Academy compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lift for Life Academy
Lift for Life Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in St Louis, Missouri, enrolling 260 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 98.8% of students qualify for free meals, 114% above the Missouri average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 260 students, its enrollment sits close to the Missouri median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Against 183 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #57.
Its student body is predominantly African American (96% of enrollment) (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 87 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.9% 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.
Discipline events run high: 123 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 260 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 60 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Lift for Life Academy also operates Lift for Life Academy High Sch (383 students) and Lift for Life Academy Elem. (222 students) alongside Lift for Life Academy.
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 compares
Lift for Life Academy on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.4:1 | ▼ 19% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.8% | ▲ 114% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 260 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.4:1
Leaner classes than 87% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
260
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 114% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.4:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 22% in Missouri - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.9%
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 87 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
63
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 47.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 60 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 96.2%
Two or More 2.7%
White 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 96.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.4, Lift for Life Academy 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.
$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 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lift for Life Academy High Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lift for Life Academy Elem. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lift for Life Academy'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
- 222
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar elementary 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 (~260 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lift for Life Academy's federal record.
- Compare Lift for Life Academy 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
How many students attend Lift for Life Academy?
Lift for Life Academy has 260 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in St Louis, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lift for Life Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Lift for Life Academy is 10.4:1, which is 19% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 34% 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 Lift for Life Academy?
98.8% of students at Lift for Life Academy 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?
The largest demographic group at Lift for Life Academy is African American at 96.2% of enrollment, in St Louis, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lift for Life Academy?
Lift for Life Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 rank among elementary schools in St Louis?
By Resource Investment Index, Lift for Life Academy ranks #24 of 47 elementary 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 elementary schools in St Louis on the city page.
Is Lift for Life Academy a good school?
Lift for Life Academy earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of 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, Lift for Life Academy also operates Lift for Life Academy High Sch (383 students) and Lift for Life Academy Elem. (222 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.