Liberal operates 8 public schools serving 4,659 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 2 middle, 1 high, 1 other schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 4,653 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Seward County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,048 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 14.3% local, 75.9% state, and 9.8% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $76,478 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 48/100, ranked #143 of 252 in Kansas against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 8 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 448.4:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 41.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% White, 1.2% African American across the district's schools.
Liberal Sr High accounts for 30.5% of all Liberal student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Liberal-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Liberal school enrollment varies 3.9× across entities
Liberal school enrollment ranges from 362 students (lowest) to 1,421 students (highest), a spread of 1,059 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio — most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Liberal has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 70.6% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Liberal student-counselor ratio is 448:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Liberal chronic absenteeism rate is 41.1% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Liberal has 8 schools, including 1 high, 1 other, 2 middle, 4 elementary. Total enrollment is 4,659 students.
How much does Liberal spend per student?
Liberal spends $14,048 per student. The district has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #143 in Kansas.
What is the average teacher salary in Liberal?
The average teacher salary in Liberal is $76,478 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Liberal?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Seward County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Liberal?
Liberal students are 87.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% White, 1.2% African American, 1.1% Asian, averaged across 8 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Liberal?
Liberal has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #143 out of 252 districts in Kansas. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.