Enrollment
116
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Liberal, MO
Liberal Elem.
Federal NCES profile for Liberal Elem., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291851001002
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 89
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Liberal Elem. earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Liberal · Resource Index
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.7:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 37.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Liberal Elem. has class sizes smaller than 83% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Liberal Elem. ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Liberal, MO.
School address
District: Liberal R-Ii · Missouri
NCES ID 291851001002 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Liberal Elem. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Liberal Elem.
Liberal Elem. is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Liberal, Missouri, enrolling 116 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 37.8% lands close to the Missouri typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 116 puts it in the smaller third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 94% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 187 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #18, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 352 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Liberal R-Ii also operates Liberal High (96 students) and Liberal Middle (59 students) alongside Liberal Elem..
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Liberal Elem. compares
Liberal Elem. on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.7:1 | ▼ 24% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.8% | ▼ 18% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 116 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
116
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 17% in Missouri - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
4.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$12,254
per pupil, district-wide
- below Missouri avg of $12,931
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 97.4%
Two or More 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 97.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.1, Liberal Elem. is less mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Liberal R-Ii, which includes Liberal Elem..
$12,254
Per student
-5%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.8%
State 30.8%
Federal 13.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Liberal Elem. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Liberal Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Liberal Elem.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 96
- Students per teacher
- 8.7:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 59
- Students per teacher
- 8.4:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Missouri, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~116 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Liberal Elem.'s federal record.
- Compare Liberal Elem. against another school. Compare schools
- Liberal R-Ii's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Liberal Elem.
How many students attend Liberal Elem.?
Liberal Elem. has 116 students enrolled. It is a public school in Liberal, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Liberal Elem.?
The student-teacher ratio at Liberal Elem. is 9.7:1, which is 24% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Liberal Elem.?
37.8% of students at Liberal Elem. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Liberal Elem.?
The largest demographic group at Liberal Elem. is White at 97.4% of enrollment, in Liberal, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Liberal Elem.?
Liberal Elem. has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Liberal Elem. rank among public schools in Liberal?
By Resource Investment Index, Liberal Elem. ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Liberal, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Liberal on the city page.
Is Liberal Elem. a good school?
Liberal Elem. earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Missouri schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Liberal R-Ii?
Besides Liberal Elem., Liberal R-Ii also operates Liberal High (96 students) and Liberal Middle (59 students). See the Liberal R-Ii district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.