Elementary Schools in Liberal

Summary:

The Liberal school district in Kansas is home to 5 elementary schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. While the district faces significant challenges, a few schools stand out in their academic performance.

MacArthur Elementary is the top performer, with the highest proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics compared to the other schools and the district/state averages. Prairie View Elementary also had stronger test scores than the district and state in many areas. However, all 5 elementary schools in Liberal significantly underperform the state averages, with proficiency rates often 20-30 percentage points lower than the Kansas average.

The district faces other challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, a large percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and wide variations in per-student spending across the schools. These factors suggest socioeconomic challenges and potential equity concerns that may be impacting student learning. Overall, the data reveals persistent low performance across the Liberal elementary school district, with a few schools standing out as relatively stronger performers.

District Detail

7 Parkway Blvd
Liberal, KS 67901

(620) 604-1010

SchoolDigger Rank:
261^st of 264 Kansas districts

See the 2025 Kansas District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 4,653

Primary Schools: 5
Middle Schools: 2
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 0

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KAP English Language Arts (2025)				KAP Mathematics (2025)				KAP Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	KAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	KAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	KAP English Language Arts All Grades	KAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	KAP Mathematics 4th Grade	KAP Mathematics 5th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 5th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
MacArthur Elementary School	Public	K-5	925 South Holly	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-1700	386	29	13.3	80.1%	60 (15.5%)	6 (1.6%)	303 (78.5%)	8 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.8%)	19.9	551^st of 656 public elementary schools	16.0%		20.7	542^nd of 653 public elementary schools	17.0%	9	37.5	32.8	33.3	34.4	35.7	21.9	25.0	27.2	18.3	18.3	$13,901	$1,954	$11,948
Cottonwood Elementary School	Public	K-5	1100 W. 11th	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-2700	500	34	14.9	89.2%	41 (8.2%)	4 (0.8%)	439 (87.8%)	7 (1.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	9.9	612^th of 656 public elementary schools	6.7%		12.5	591^st of 653 public elementary schools	9.5%	21	23.1	29.7	20.9	24.2	10.8	18.7	20.9	16.6	22.0	22.0	$13,206	$1,388	$11,818
Sunflower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	310 W. Pine	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-2800	570	25	23.2	87.2%	45 (7.9%)	8 (1.4%)	499 (87.5%)	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.9%)	14.7	582^nd of 656 public elementary schools	11.3%		18.2	561^st of 653 public elementary schools	14.1%	21	38.9	17.6	27.9	28.4	21.4	25.5	18.2	21.8	27.3	27.3	$12,276	$1,237	$11,039
Prairie View Elementary School	Public	K-5	615 Warren Avenue	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-1800	426	32	13.3	88.3%	23 (5.4%)	4 (0.9%)	393 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	8.3	619^th of 656 public elementary schools	5.6%		20.2	548^th of 653 public elementary schools	16.1%	71	29.8	28.3	17.6	24.9	13.4	13.3	13.5	13.4	18.9	18.9	$14,175	$1,310	$12,866
Meadowlark Elementary School	Public	K-5	1200 N Calvert	Liberal	67901	Seward County	Liberal	No	No	No	Yes	(620) 604-2100	362	27	13.4	97.5%	16 (4.4%)	7 (1.9%)	329 (90.9%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.7%)	3.4	654^th of 656 public elementary schools	0.3%		5.8	646^th of 653 public elementary schools	1.1%	8	13.6	12.7	15.8	14.0	10.0	7.1	7.1	8.2	10.5	10.5	$14,124	$1,536	$12,588

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Kismet-Plains	17.09 mi	3	246^th
Moscow Public Schools	24.77 mi	2	128^th
Hugoton Public Schools	24.78 mi	4	176^th
Satanta	27.69 mi	2	238^th
Sublette	30.68 mi	3	109^th

See the top KS Kansas districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kansas State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

Elementary Schools in Liberal

District Detail

MacArthur Elementary School

Sunflower Elementary School

Cottonwood Elementary School

Prairie View Elementary School

Meadowlark Elementary School

Districts nearby