Enrollment
39
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 210318002216
The Life Connection — Sonora, KY
Federal NCES profile for The Life Connection, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 72/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 94
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: Larue County · Kentucky
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)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 15.6:1 Kentucky avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How The Life Connection compares with Kentucky 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
The Life Connection reports 39 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 3.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% below the Kentucky state mean of 15.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 69% above the Kentucky average and 93% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 2.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Larue County spends $12,457 per pupil district-wide, below the Kentucky average of $15,105 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.3% from local sources (property taxes), 63.7% from the state, and 17.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 72/100 (B), calculated from 3 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 The Life Connection compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kentucky state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.7:1 | ▼ 25% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 39 | top 9% | — | — |
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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 69% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.7:1
students per teacher
— 25% below state mean
Top 14% in Kentucky — lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
2.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,457
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kentucky avg of $15,105
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 39 Top 9% in Kentucky — larger than 91% of 1,395 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 3.0
Students per teacher 11.7:1 -25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +69% vs state
NCES ID 210318002216
Student demographics
White 82.1%
African American 12.8%
Two or More 5.1%
Largest group: White at 82.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 2.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Larue County, which includes The Life Connection.
$12,457
Per student
-18%
vs Kentucky
Avg $15,105
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.3%
State 63.7%
Federal 17.0%
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
- 754
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 533
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 522
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 482
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 118
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
Similar other schools in Sonora
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 The Life Connection
How many students attend The Life Connection?
The Life Connection has 39 students enrolled. It is a other school in Sonora, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at The Life Connection?
The student-teacher ratio at The Life Connection is 11.7:1, which is 25% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.6:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at The Life Connection?
100.0% of students at The Life Connection are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of The Life Connection?
The largest demographic group at The Life Connection is White at 82.1%. The school serves a student body in Sonora, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for The Life Connection?
The Life Connection has a Resource Investment Index of 72/100 (B) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.