In 1988 Lift For Life Gym opened its doors with a commitment to change the lives of inner city kids for the better. Twelve years after the Gym’s founding, Lift For Life Academy was born, to take the mission of the Gym a step further — to give at-risk city children a chance at the education they would need to become productive citizens.

In 2000, Lift For Life Academy opened the first independent charter school in the city, to serve students in 6th through 8th grades. We started with just 60 6th graders; nearly ten years later, the Academy has been so successful in creating an enriching and productive environment for its students that we are expanding. Lift For Life Academy has made the commitment to educate our students through 12th grade and guide each individual student to pursue either a college or career track – ensuring that they become contributing citizens of our St. Louis community.

In the 2007-2008 school year we added a 9th grade and plan to add a grade each year, our goal is to offer a full middle and high school by Fall 2011 with a projected enrollment of 525 students. A new high school will allow our students to continue learning within a community of teachers and peers they have come to know and trust.

Lift For Life Academy has embarked on an ambitions undertaking – to raise the funds necessary to build a state-of-the-art high school facility on our Soulard campus. Our success will be a reflection of the vibrant St. Louis community that is partnering with us to provide a high-quality education to St. Louis students.