Enrollment
59
Middle
DISTRICT 90 · STATE 461
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LIBERAL R-II·NCES 291851002719
LIBERAL MIDDLE
205 N PAYNE, LIBERAL, MO 64762 · (417) 843-6033 · Barton County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL59 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.0:1
6 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 9.1:1 · STATE 13.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
46%
27 students
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 54%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
LIBERAL MIDDLE→LIBERAL HIGH
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within LIBERAL R-II. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MO DVT (Growth) 2024-25 . Growth Percentile vs PeersEnglish Language Arts
19.2%
MO avg 49.5% . -40.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the MO DVT (Growth), Missouri's statewide test, about 19 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level. The Missouri average is about 50 of 100. Reading and writing scores are down about 40 points since 2023.
Source: MO DVT (Growth). 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
54.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.4%
based on MO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
59
-30 (-34%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
10.0:1
was 11.4:1
% White
93%
was 96%
% Hispanic
2%
was 3%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About LIBERAL MIDDLE
LIBERAL MIDDLE is a 6-8 campus of minimally staffed scale in LIBERAL, Missouri, one of the schools within LIBERAL R-II, caters to 59 students in grades 6 through 8. By comparison, Missouri's public schools average about 461 students each, so LIBERAL MIDDLE sits 87% below that benchmark.
LIBERAL MIDDLE is one of 3 schools operated by LIBERAL R-II, a district that works with 271 students overall.
On the student-mix side, LIBERAL MIDDLE logs that the student body is overwhelmingly White (93%); the rest consists of 3% multiracial. Compared to Barton County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.
On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 6 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 10.0:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.0:1 average. About 46% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.
With demographic context factored in, LIBERAL MIDDLE sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 50.4%; this one delivers 54.9%.
Zooming out to the county, Barton County reports that median household earnings sit near $51,635, about 17% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 17%. Across Barton County's 10 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,593 students), LIBERAL MIDDLE is one campus in the mix.
LIBERAL HIGH is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around LIBERAL MIDDLE. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), LIBERAL MIDDLE ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 44.4%.
The campus sits in an outlying setting.
Over the past 7-year window. LIBERAL MIDDLE's enrollment has decreased 34% since 2018, when it stood at 89 (now 59). The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 11.4:1 in 2018 to 10.0:1 today.
In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.
Barton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
11,690
Census ACS
Median income
$51,635
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
17%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
17%
Below federal line
Schools in county
10
1,593 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in LIBERAL R-II
- LIBERAL ELEM.Elementary · 116 students
- LIBERAL HIGHHigh · 96 students
Other schools in LIBERAL
- LIBERAL ELEM.Elementary · 116 students
- LIBERAL HIGHHigh · 96 students
Nearby schools
- LIBERAL HIGH0.0 mi · 96
- LIBERAL ELEM.0.2 mi · 116
- Northeast Virtual School9.6 mi · 2
- North East High9.6 mi · 133
- BRONAUGH ELEM.9.6 mi · 104
- BRONAUGH HIGH9.6 mi · 65
Frequently asked questions
About LIBERAL MIDDLEHow large is LIBERAL MIDDLE?
LIBERAL MIDDLE enrolls approximately 59 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does LIBERAL MIDDLE serve?
LIBERAL MIDDLE serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at LIBERAL MIDDLE?
Approximately 10.0:1 students per teacher at LIBERAL MIDDLE.
How diverse is LIBERAL MIDDLE?
LIBERAL MIDDLE reports a student body of 93% White, 2% Hispanic, 3% Two or more.
Is LIBERAL MIDDLE public or private?
LIBERAL MIDDLE is a public K-12 school, overseen by LIBERAL R-II.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.