Liberty Leadership Middle School, Peoria IL

Original Research by School Decision on Liberty Leadership Middle School

Liberty Leadership Middle School serves grades five through eight in Peoria, Illinois, as a regular public school within Peoria SD 150. The school enrolls students across a modest range of grades, with the largest cohort in eighth grade. The student body is diverse: roughly a third Black, a similar share white, about one in five Hispanic, and the rest split among Asian, two or more races, and other groups.

On state assessments, the school's results show consistent academic challenges across both tested subjects. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from the low thirties to low forties in the upper grades, with fifth grade at a lower range. Math proficiency is notably weaker, with most grades below twenty percent, and sixth grade falling to fifteen percent. Science testing at fifth and eighth grades shows proficiency in the high teens to low twenties. These results place the school in the bottom quartile among districts in Peoria County on an overall proficiency index. Test participation is strong and consistent across grade levels.

The broader context shaping this school includes a significant district-level curriculum shift. In April 2026, Peoria SD 150 approved a major overhaul of its K-5 reading program, moving to science-of-reading aligned materials after materials dating to an earlier period. This shift reflects that roughly four in ten third through eighth graders were not reading at grade level according to recent state data. Parents considering Liberty Leadership are entering a moment when the district is deliberately recalibrating early literacy instruction, a factor that may affect elementary performance trajectories over time.

Peoria itself is a mid-sized city in a slow-growth, redevelopment phase. Much investment concentrates downtown and in the Warehouse District, where adaptive reuse projects are transforming former industrial buildings into housing and mixed-use space. Manufacturing and healthcare anchor the local economy, with Caterpillar and OSF Healthcare as major employers. The housing market is tight; home values and rents have grown modestly year over year, and the city faces historically low inventory. The north end of the city has attracted newer suburban development, while West Bluff and downtown neighborhoods offer older urban character. Transit is provided by CityLink, which runs eighteen routes serving schools and community anchors from a downtown hub.

A parent or resident considering Liberty Leadership should understand that the school currently shows weak state assessment performance, and a parent may want to look further into the school's approach to literacy instruction given the district's recent curriculum adoption. The student composition is diverse. The school's location at the northern edge of the city places it in a neighborhood context that has seen newer development. Given the state of academic results and the district's ongoing literacy initiative, families prioritizing demonstrated reading and math proficiency may want to explore how Liberty Leadership is executing the new curriculum and what additional supports exist for students working below grade level.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 16% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 14% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 20% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 13% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 29% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 27% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 25% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 35% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 18% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 21% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolPeoria SD 150, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.