Enrollment
518
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Bedford, VA
Liberty Middle
Federal NCES profile for Liberty Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 510036000143
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Liberty Middle earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Virginia schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Bedford · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 86.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Liberty Middle has class sizes smaller than 81% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Liberty Middle ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Bedford, VA.
School address
District: Bedford County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510036000143 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.4%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Liberty Middle compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Liberty Middle
Liberty Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Bedford, Virginia, enrolling 518 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 518 students, its enrollment sits close to the Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 444 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #18, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and African American (16%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 259 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
15.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 202 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 518 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Bedford County Public Schools also operates Jefferson Forest High (1,282 students) and Forest Middle (854 students) alongside Liberty 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 Liberty Middle compares
Liberty Middle on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.4% | ▲ 50% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 518 | top 55% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
518
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 19% in Virginia - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
15.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,790
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 259 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
140
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 27.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.0 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 72.6%
African American 15.8%
Two or More 6.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 72.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.2, Liberty Middle is less mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bedford County Public Schools, which includes Liberty Middle.
$12,790
Per student
-13%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.1%
State 52.1%
Federal 15.7%
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 Liberty Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Forest High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forest Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Staunton River High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Liberty High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Staunton River Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Liberty Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,282
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 816
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 708
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 612
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~518 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Liberty Middle's federal record.
- Compare Liberty Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Bedford County Public Schools'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 Liberty Middle
How many students attend Liberty Middle?
Liberty Middle has 518 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Bedford, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Liberty Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Liberty Middle is 11.8:1, which is 15% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 25% 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 Liberty Middle?
86.4% of students at Liberty Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Liberty Middle?
The largest demographic group at Liberty Middle is White at 72.6% of enrollment, in Bedford, VA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Liberty Middle?
Liberty Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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 Liberty Middle rank among public schools in Bedford?
By Resource Investment Index, Liberty Middle ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Bedford, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bedford on the city page.
Is Liberty Middle a good school?
Liberty Middle earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Virginia 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 Bedford County Public Schools?
Besides Liberty Middle, Bedford County Public Schools also operates Jefferson Forest High (1,282 students), Forest Middle (854 students), and Staunton River High (816 students). See the Bedford County Public Schools 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.