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Liberty, Missouri - 18 schools
An equity score of 42/100 ranks Liberty 53 #275 of 432 districts in Missouri (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,222 per pupil, Liberty 53 ranks #255 of 549 Missouri districts by per-pupil spending (Missouri districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
12,367
Total Enrollment
18
Schools
$12,222
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Liberty 53 operates 18 public schools serving 12,367 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Missouri. The school portfolio breaks down into 11 elementary, 4 middle, 2 high, 1 combined schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Clay County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,222 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 549 Missouri districts by per-pupil spending. See how Missouri compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 57.5% local, 35.4% state, and 7.2% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 42/100, ranked #275 of 432 in Missouri against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 18 schools offering Advanced Placement (74 AP courses district-wide), a 401.1:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 17.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 71.4% White, 10.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Early Child. Education Ctr., with a diversity index of 70.7/100.
Its largest campus is Liberty North High School, enrolling 2,262 students (19% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Early Child. Education Ctr., at 45 students, a 50x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Liberty North High School accounts for 18.3% of all Liberty 53 student enrollment
That concentration means Liberty 53-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.
Liberty 53 school enrollment varies 50× across entities
Liberty 53 school enrollment ranges from 45 students (lowest) to 2,262 students (highest), a spread of 2,217 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Liberty 53 student-counselor ratio is 401:1 — 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.
Liberty 53 chronic absenteeism rate is 17.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Liberty 53 is typically wider than the Liberty 53-aggregate figure suggests.
Liberty 53 has 18 schools, including 2 high, 4 middle, 11 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 12,367 students.
How much does Liberty 53 spend per student?
Liberty 53 spends $12,222 per student. The district has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #275 in Missouri.
What is the demographic composition of Liberty 53?
Liberty 53 students are 71.4% White, 10.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% African American, 2.4% Asian, averaged across 18 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Liberty 53?
Liberty 53 has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #275 out of 432 districts in Missouri.