Enrollment
809
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 291854002800
South Valley Middle — Liberty, MO
Federal NCES profile for South Valley Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 45/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 48
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Liberty 53 · Missouri
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
55.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 12.9:1 Missouri avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
12.3%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-73% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Valley Middle compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
South Valley Middle reports 809 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 55.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% above the Missouri state mean of 12.9:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 12.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 73% below the Missouri average and 76% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 405 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 20.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Liberty 53 spends $13,266 per pupil district-wide, below the Missouri average of $15,248 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.5% from local sources (property taxes), 35.4% from the state, and 7.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How South Valley Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Missouri state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▲ 12% | 12.9:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 12.3% | ▼ 73% | 46.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 809 | top 93% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
12.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 73% 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
14.4:1
students per teacher
— 12% above state mean
Top 74% in Missouri — lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
20.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,266
per pupil, district-wide
— below Missouri avg of $15,248
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 405 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
70
in-school suspensions + 90 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 809 Top 93% in Missouri — larger than 7% of 2,321 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 55.0
Students per teacher 14.4:1 +12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 12.3% -73% vs state
NCES ID 291854002800
Student demographics
White 73.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
African American 7.0%
Two or More 7.0%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 73.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 405:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 20.8%
In-school suspensions 70
Out-of-school suspensions 90
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Liberty 53, which includes South Valley Middle.
$13,266
Per student
-13%
vs Missouri
Avg $15,248
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.5%
State 35.4%
Federal 7.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,262
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,842
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 795
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 757
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 678
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
Similar middle schools in Liberty
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about South Valley Middle
How many students attend South Valley Middle?
South Valley Middle has 809 students enrolled. It is a middle school in LIBERTY, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Valley Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at South Valley Middle is 14.4:1, which is 12% higher than the Missouri average of 12.9:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Valley Middle?
12.3% of students at South Valley Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Valley Middle?
The largest demographic group at South Valley Middle is White at 73.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in LIBERTY, MO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Valley Middle?
South Valley Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.