Lift For Life Academy

Funding affiliates:

None

Geographic areas served

Greater St. Louis metro area

Date they started providing services

2000

What they do

Our Mission: Lift for Life Academy (LFLA) will be a challenging and supportive learning community where each student is valued and empowered to maximize their full potential as students, citizens, and productive members of society. The Academy believes "Every child has the potential to succeed, given the right environment and the right encouragement. Failure is not an option.”

LFLA operates 11 month school year; our teacher-to-student ratio averages 1:16. Teachers & staff offer a multicultural perspective to education. Since LFLA owns and operates its own buses, students do not have to miss school until transportation is arranged. State-of-the-art equipment and trained instructors prepare underprivileged students for a technologically-driven society. A full-time social worker, special education instructors, guidance counselors & skilled teachers know how to reach/meet needs of seriously disadvantaged children. Afterschool tutoring helps students understand classroom concepts.

Who they serve

575 students are enrolled for the 2011-12 school year. Students come from St. Louis' poorest neighborhoods, where the number of adults who have not graduated High School is very high. Over 90% of LFLA students live in households with incomes below national poverty level. These households are predominately single parent and female-headed. Most students enroll with reading and math skills one-three years below their grade level. Academy students are primarily African-American (95%), and many reside in some of the city’s most at-risk neighborhoods. Nearly 90% of students qualify for free/reduced lunches. 90% of students will re-enroll from one year to the next. The 2010-11 school year drop out was 0.6%.

6th graders enter the Academy performing 1-3 years below grade and by graduation have achieved academic proficiency. LFLA students typically raise their comprehension by more than one grade level for every year they attend the Academy.

LFLA is a Title I school.

How they serve

The needs of urban students such LFLA students are unique. Students enter the Academy from more than 50 inner-city public schools where they did not receive the attention or encouragement that would allow them to flourish.

Lift For Life Academy, with grades 6 to 12, offers over 570 students from the City of St. Louis an alternative to local public schools through an enriching, educational environment where students can thrive and succeed academically & socially. LFLA's success revolves around lifting incoming students from severe underachievement to grade level proficiencies through intensive tutoring and classroom engagement. Academics are focused on students developing skills to succeed in post-secondary experiences & for meaningful employment. We recognize that students from all backgrounds can be academically successful if they have access to high quality, evidence-based teaching and learning opportunities featuring hands-on, inquiry-based, applied & career-relevant experienc

Outcomes

• For the 2011-12 school year, the Academy will demonstrate a minimum of 8% growth of students scoring Proficient or Advanced on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP).

• For the 2011-12 school year, 85% of graduates will submit application to post secondary institutions.

• By 2012, Lift For Life Academy’s graduation rate will be a minimum of 90%.

Success story

Written in November 2011 by Rakeem G., Student

The principal at my high school, Mrs. Noble, helped me change my life completely. She was strong & caring. Her determination led me & many others to overcome the hardest situations & keep going no matter what.

The years leading up to high school were not the best for me. I wanted someone to care about me. I was so tough & stubborn. My life at home was horribly upsetting. My sister & I moved in with my grandmother because of problems with my mother.

The real change came when I entered Lift For Life, after I got suspended from my previous school. When I got into it with teachers and students, Mrs. Noble put everything on me. It was her way of letting me know that I am in control of every situation & problem. She said, "YOU have to make the change." She is a voice of hope and made school a place of healing for me.

Rakeem has been accepted into several colleges and plans to return to the Academy as a teacher after graduation.

They collaborate with:

Clayton Ladue Optimist Club

John Burroughs High School

Junior Achievement

Junior League of St. Louis

Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis (Music Room)

Missouri Highway Patrol

South East Missouri University

St. Louis ArtWorks

St. Louis Internship Program

St. Louis Jewish Federation

St. Louis University

THRIVE

Washington University Campus Y

YMCA of Greater St. Louis

Financials

Are their financial statements audited annually?

Yes

Latest 990 or financial report

View File