Enrollment
59
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Liberal, MO
Liberal Middle
Federal NCES profile for Liberal Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 67/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 291851002719
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Liberal Middle earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Missouri schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Liberal · Resource Index
- 67
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.4:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 28.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Liberal Middle has class sizes smaller than 90% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Liberal Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Liberal, MO.
School address
District: Liberal R-Ii · Missouri
NCES ID 291851002719 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
7.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.4:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
28.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Liberal Middle compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Liberal Middle
Liberal Middle is a small middle school in Liberal, Missouri, enrolling 59 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.4:1, Liberal Middle is leaner than roughly 90% of Missouri schools and 34% under the state's 12.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 28.8% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of Missouri schools, with 59 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 81 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 197 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
11.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Liberal R-Ii also operates Liberal Elem. (116 students) and Liberal High (96 students) alongside Liberal Middle.
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 Middle compares
Liberal Middle on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.4:1 | ▼ 34% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 28.8% | ▼ 38% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 59 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.4:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
59
Bigger than 6% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
28.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
8.4:1
students per teacher
- 34% below state mean
Top 10% in Missouri - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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
6
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 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 93.2%
Two or More 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Largest group: White at 93.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.0, Liberal Middle 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 Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Elem. | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Liberal High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Liberal Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 116
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 96
- Students per teacher
- 8.7:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar middle 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 (~59 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Liberal Middle's federal record.
- Compare Liberal Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Liberal Middle?
Liberal Middle has 59 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Liberal, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Liberal Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Liberal Middle is 8.4:1, which is 34% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 46% 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 Middle?
28.8% of students at Liberal Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Liberal Middle?
The largest demographic group at Liberal Middle is White at 93.2% of enrollment, in Liberal, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Liberal Middle?
Liberal Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (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 Middle rank among public schools in Liberal?
By Resource Investment Index, Liberal Middle ranks #1 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 Middle a good school?
Liberal Middle earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of 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 Middle, Liberal R-Ii also operates Liberal Elem. (116 students) and Liberal High (96 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.