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Parents: what's one thing you'd want the DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL administration to hear?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
678
Middle
DISTRICT 713 · STATE 461
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LIBERTY 53·NCES 291854003226
DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL
800 MIDJAY DRIVE, LIBERTY, MO 64068 · (816) 736-7300 · Clay County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL678 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.9:1
49 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.7:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
18%
124 students
DISTRICT 30% · STATE 54%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 248 | 37% |
| Grade 7 | 217 | 32% |
| Grade 8 | 213 | 31% |
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 52% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
MAP 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
61.1%
MO avg 44.9% . +5.9pp since 2021
Math
62.6%
MO avg 43.8% . +14.1pp since 2021
What this means: On the MAP, Missouri's statewide test, about 61 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Missouri schools, those numbers are about 45 and 44. Reading and writing scores are up about 6 points since 2021, while math scores are up about 14 points.
Performance levels, 2024-25
| Subject | Advanced | Proficient | Basic | Below Basic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 32.3% | 28.8% | 31.1% | 7.7% |
| Math | 34.1% | 28.5% | 25.5% | 11.7% |
Share of tested students at each MAP level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
MAP results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 61.1% | 62.6% |
| 2023-24 | 57.6% | 55.8% |
| 2022-23 | 51.3% | 52.1% |
| 2021-22 | 55.2% | 48.5% |
% Proficient + Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: MAP. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
57.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.0%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 58% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% typical for Missouri schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Missouri's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL
DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL's state test result (57.6% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL this school | 678 | 18.3% | 57.6% |
| BRYAN MIDDLE ST CHARLES | 827 | 16.9% | 62.9% |
| BARNWELL MIDDLE ST CHARLES | 792 | 19.2% | 60.1% |
| FT. ZUMWALT SOUTH MIDDLE ST PETERS | 823 | 14.9% | 57.5% |
| ROBERT H. SPERRENG MIDDLE ST LOUIS | 941 | 17.6% | 55.4% |
| DELTA WOODS MIDDLE LEE'S SUMMIT | 831 | 22.3% | 60.6% |
Matched among Missouri middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Missouri | In Clay County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 57.6% | #45 of 379 | #4 of 13 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.6% | #46 of 380 ▲ 22 | #4 of 13 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 61.1% | #31 of 380 ▲ 3 | #1 of 13 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +10.0pp | #36 of 364 | #2 of 13 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 678 | #88 of 397 | #7 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.9:1 | #209 of 321 | #7 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 51.5% | #91 of 321 | #7 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 18.3% | #347 of 379 | #11 of 13 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -3.0% | #197 of 224 | #9 of 10 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
678
-34 (-5%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
13.9:1
was 14.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 678 | 48.7 | 13.9:1 | 18% (124) |
| 2023-24 | 663 | 49.8 | 13.3:1 | 18% (122) |
| 2022-23 | 653 | 49.7 | 13.1:1 | 17% (110) |
| 2020-21 | 712 | 50 | 14.2:1 | 16% (111) |
| 2017-18 | 699 | 46.7 | 15.0:1 | 12% (85) |
| 2015-16 | 661 | 48 | 13.8:1 | 12% (79) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL.
Since 2017-18: students down 3% (699 to 678); teachers up 4% (46.7 to 48.7).
About DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL
The public middle school DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL is located in LIBERTY, Missouri. It teaches 678 students in grades 6 through 8. It has 47% more students than the average for middle schools in Missouri (about 461).
District-wide, LIBERTY 53 has 18 schools and 11,826 students.
At DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL, 68% of students are White. After that, the student body is 9% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, 8% Black, and 6% Asian. Census figures show Clay County is about 79% White. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 52%.
DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL has 48.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of about 13.9:1. Middle schools in Missouri average 13.0:1, 0.9 fewer students per teacher than here. A common income measure, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, is 18% at DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL. That is lower than the 35% average for public schools in Clay County.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL is 53.0%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 57.6%.
Looking at the county, Clay County, median household income comes to about $88,468, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 37% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. The county's public schools total 80, with about 41,553 students.
SOUTH VALLEY MIDDLE is the nearest public school to DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL, about 0.1 miles away. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL comes in 3rd of 8 nearby schools on average proficiency.
DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL has an NCES locale of Suburb: Large.
From 712 students in 2020-21, enrollment fell to 678 by 2024-25.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Clay County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
258,122
Census ACS
Median income
$88,468
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
80
41,553 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in LIBERTY 53
- LIBERTY NORTH HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,262 students
- LIBERTY HIGHHigh · 1,842 students
- SOUTH VALLEY MIDDLEMiddle · 809 students
- SHOAL CREEK ELEM.Elementary · 795 students
- HERITAGE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 757 students
- LIBERTY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 609 students
Other schools in LIBERTY
- LIBERTY NORTH HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,262 students
- LIBERTY HIGHHigh · 1,842 students
- SOUTH VALLEY MIDDLEMiddle · 809 students
- HERITAGE MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 757 students
- LIBERTY MIDDLE SCHOOLMiddle · 609 students
- WARREN HILLS ELEM.Elementary · 597 students
Other Discovery Middle schools
7 other US public schools in 8 states are named Discovery Middle. DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL is the 7th largest of the 8.
- Discovery Middle SchoolMadison, AL · 1,054 students
- DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOLFargo, ND · 992 students
- Discovery Middle SchoolGranger, IN · 941 students
- Discovery Middle SchoolALEXANDRIA, MN · 898 students
- DISCOVERY MIDDLEORLANDO, FL · 814 students
Nearby schools
- SOUTH VALLEY MIDDLE0.1 mi · 809
- ALEXANDER DONIPHAN ELEM.0.5 mi · 336
- EARLY CHILD. EDUCATION CTR.0.7 mi · 45
- EPIC ELEMENTARY1.0 mi · 293
- LIBERTY OAKS ELEM.1.2 mi · 496
- LIBERTY MIDDLE SCHOOL1.3 mi · 609
Frequently asked questions
About DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOLHow large is DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL?
DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL enrolls approximately 678 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL serve?
DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL?
The student-to-teacher ratio at DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL is approximately 13.9:1 (49 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL?
At DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL, the student body is approximately 68% White, 9% Hispanic, 8% Black, 6% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL public or private?
DISCOVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by LIBERTY 53.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.