Life School

See also: School of Life (disambiguation)
Life
Original Life School campus at Oak Cliff, founded in 1998.
Address
Map
132 East Ovilla Road, Suite A

Oak Cliff, Red Oak, Lancaster, Waxahachie, Carrollton, Cedar Hill, Mountain Creek

Red Oak
,
Texas
75154

United States
Coordinates32°34′37″N 96°49′17″W / 32.577050°N 96.821369°W / 32.577050; -96.821369
Information
School typePublic, Charter
MottoReady to Learn. Ready to Lead. Ready for Life.
Established1988 (1988)
FounderDr. Tom Wilson
SuperintendentDr. Brent Wilson
GradesK-12
Average class size28
Hours in school day8
Color(s)blue (all campuses); blue/red (Carrollton, Red Oak, Waxahachie); blue/green (Mountain Creek); blue/gray (Cedar Hill); blue/orange (Lancaster)
Athletics conferenceUniversity Interscholastic League
MascotMustang (Red Oak, Waxahachie), Bear (Lancaster), Lion (Oak Cliff), Eagle (Mountain Creek), Cardinal (Carrollton), Cougar (Cedar Hill)
Team nameLife School Mustangs, Life School Bears, Life School Lions, Life School Eagles, Life School Cardinals, Life School Cougars
AccreditationTexas Education Agency
TuitionFree
Websitelifeschool.id

Life High School Waxahachie as pictured in 2019

Life Elementary School Mountain Creek as pictured in 2019

Life School is a charter school operator headquartered in Red Oak, Texas. Life School was chartered in the state of Texas in 1998 and has campuses in Dallas-Fort Worth, Cedar Hill, Carrollton, Lancaster, Oak Cliff, Red Oak, Waxahachie, and West Dallas.[1] It operates with a private school atmosphere and adheres to public school education requirements mandated by the state.[2]

Life School has been recognized by the state of Texas on numerous occasions for its allocation of resources, earning a five star rating from the Texas Comptroller's Office.[3] It is also the first charter school in the state of Texas to access the Permanent School Fund, allowing its school bonds used for funding to be guaranteed by the state of Texas.[4]

History

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Life School was founded by Dr. Tom Wilson in 1989.[5] Prior to that time, Wilson was employed in the educational system since 1966, serving as a pastor, speaker, and director of private schools.[5] Wilson began Life School in Dallas as a conduit to train adults who were unemployed and had no employable skills, while at the same time offering activities for youth and children. Wilson reorganized the school's objective after finding a low success rate regarding people whose lifestyles changed permanently.[5] During the 1990s, Wilson worked to make Life School a free tuition school. This was in response to the gang activities in the Dallas area that made the city the murder capital (per capita) of the United States. Wilson's goal was to teach and train children before they became involved in gang activities.[5]

Life School filed a charter school application with the Texas Education Agency in 1997. The application was completed by Wilson along with other community leaders that included educational lawyers and other educators.[5] In March 1998 the school was granted the charter and began open enrollment as a free tuition public school in August that same year. The school became popular in the communities it served and parents camped out overnight to enroll their children. The first Life School campus to open was in Oak Cliff, Texas in Dallas County.[2]

Life School became the first charter school in Texas to access Permanent School Funding.[6] This took place in 2014 after the Texas State Board of Education expanded such funding to include charter schools.[7] It eliminated its high rate of financing with the Permanent Education Fund now guaranteeing its bonds.[8] Life School sold approximately $100 million in tax-exempt and taxable bonds to refund debt and build a new high school, which it broke ground for in 2014.[9] Located in Waxahachie, Texas, the school is 125,000 square feet and has educational facilities that include science labs, computer labs, athletic practice fields and extracurricular activities.[7] The high school campus is also Life School's seventh campus,[9] with the school saving approximately $13 million through its first bond sale guaranteed by the Permanent School Fund.[8][10]

Education and campuses

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Life School operates educational facilities in Dallas-Fort Worth (K-12), Cedar Hill (K-6), Carrollton (K-5), Lancaster (K-6), Red Oak (K-6), Mountain Creek (K-6) and Waxahachie (K-12).[1] Life School is a tuition-free, public school following required curriculum and administering state-mandated tests that include the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.[2] The graduation rate for Life School was reported as 99.5% from 2004 to 2014, with 79% of graduates attending post high school within two years of graduation.[11]

The school also provides a $1,000 college scholarship named for founder Dr. Tom Wilson, awarded to the valedictorians of each graduating class.[3] Life School offers organized athletics at various campus. Some sport activities include basketball,[12] football,[13] track and field, and cheerleading.[14][15]

Campus locations

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  • Oak Cliff Elementary - (Oak Cliff, Dallas) - Kindergarten through 6th grade
  • Oak Cliff Middle - (Oak Cliff) - 7th grade through 8th grade
  • Oak Cliff Secondary - (Oak Cliff) - 9th grade through 12th grade
  • Red Oak - (Red Oak) - Kindergarten through 6th grade
  • Waxahachie Middle School - (Waxahachie) - 7th grade and 8th grade
  • Waxahachie High School - (Waxahachie) - 9th grade through 12th Grade
  • Lancaster Elementary - (Lancaster) - Kindergarten through 6th grades
  • Cedar Hill Elementary - (Cedar Hill) - Kindergarten through 6th grade
  • Mountain Creek Elementary - (Oak Cliff) — Kindergarten through 6th grade
  • Carrollton Elementary - (Carrollton) — Kindergarten through 5th grade

Awards and recognition

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Life School was recognized by the Comptroller's office in 2012, being named to the Texas Honors Circle for excellence in resource allocations.[1] It earned the same distinction in 2013 and 2014 by receiving a five star rating, the highest rating given by the Texas Comptroller.[3] It was one of only 45 districts and 13 charter schools to receive the distinction. The same year it was awarded the highest rating of superior achievement by the Texas Education Agency.[1] Life School Oak Cliff was rated a Bronze award as one of the best high schools by U.S. News & World Report in 2014.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Life School kicks off new school year, opens new campus". Waxahachietx Daily Light. 15 August 2013. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b c White, Stefanie (7 April 2008). "Life School attracts heavy interest in McKinney". Star Local Media. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Life School Valedictorians receive $1,000 Dr. Tom Wilson Scholarship". The Ellis County Press. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  4. ^ Radcliffe, Jennifer (25 July 2014). "New law saves Texas charter schools millions". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Founder". Life School official website. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  6. ^ Cappatta, Brian (21 October 2014). "Charter Schools Borrow At Record Pace Led By Texas Muni Credit". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Life School becomes first charter school in Texas to access permanent school fund". Waxahachietx Daily Mirror. 14 April 2014. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  8. ^ a b Kuriloff, Aaron (28 December 2014). "Charter Schools Find Smarter Ways to Borrow". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  9. ^ a b Conlon, Shelly (15 April 2014). "Life School officials break ground on new high school". Waxahachietx Daily Light. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  10. ^ "Life School breaks new ground in Waxahachie". Focus Daily News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  11. ^ Wilson, Brent (Spring 2014). "Leading from the heart". Life School Annual Magazine.
  12. ^ Gorman, Geoff (26 February 2015). "Life School Red Oak basketball falls to Peaster, 47-40". Waxahachietx Daily Light. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  13. ^ Gorman, Geoff (6 November 2014). "Life School Red Oak is playoff bound". Waxachietx Daily Light. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  14. ^ Conlon, Shelly (4 March 2015). "Winter weather causes closures, delays across Ellis County". Waxahachieftx Daily Light. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  15. ^ Gorman, Geoff (19 February 2015). "Mustangs head into playoffs". Waxahachieftx.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Life School Oak Cliff". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
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