MacArthur Elementary School

MacArthur Elementary School operates as a medium-sized elementary-level community in Liberal, Kansas, part of Liberal. Current enrollment sits at 386 students spanning grades K through 5. By comparison, Kansas's public schools average about 313 students each, so MacArthur Elementary School sits 23% above that benchmark.

Within Liberal, which oversees 8 schools and 4,653 students, MacArthur Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, MacArthur Elementary School lists that 79% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 16% White, 2% Asian. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 67%.

In terms of school funding signals, MacArthur Elementary School records 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 13.3:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 80% of students at MacArthur Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), MacArthur Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 23.9%, the actual is 25.7%, a residual of +1.8 points.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Seward County) shows that median household earnings sit near $63,827, roughly 11% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Seward County's 10 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,115 students), MacArthur Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Eisenhower Middle School, around 0.4 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 7 other public schools cluster around MacArthur Elementary School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts MacArthur Elementary School at 1st of 8; the average score across the group is 16.2%.

The school occupies a town-center site.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 7%: 415 students in 2018 compared to 386 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share fell from 25% to 16%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 14.8:1 in 2018 to 13.3:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.