The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in Science. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Liberty Middle School
Liberty Middle School serves students from fifth through eighth grade in Pratt, Kansas, as part of the Pratt district. It is a public school with a traditional grade span that bridges elementary and high school. The student body is roughly the size you would expect for a mid-sized rural middle school, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating a school where economic need is present at above-average levels. Racially, the enrollment is predominantly white, with a noticeable Hispanic minority and small numbers of Asian, Black, and multiracial students; no Native American or Pacific Islander students are reported.
Academically, the school’s performance on the Kansas Assessment Program is mixed, and it is important to note that the state changed its cut scores for both math and English language arts in the most recent testing year, which makes it impossible to know whether results reflect a true trend or simply a new bar. What the data shows is that proficiency rates vary by subject and grade. In math, sixth and eighth graders scored in the low to mid range, while seventh graders fell noticeably lower. In English language arts, eighth graders posted the strongest results among the three tested grades, with sixth graders close behind; seventh graders again lagged. Science, tested only in eighth grade, saw roughly half of students reaching proficiency, a somewhat stronger showing than the same grade’s math and ELA results. Across all subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile when compared to other districts in Pratt County, a set that includes only two other districts with usable data. Families moving into the area should recognize that these results come in a county where overall academic attainment is not high, and the school has room to improve.
No high school graduation rate is reported because the school does not serve those grades, and no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available, so a full picture of school climate cannot be drawn from state records. Program offerings were also not detailed in the data; the school website was not included with the available information.
Liberty Middle School sits in Pratt, the county seat of Pratt County. Pratt is a small city with an economy rooted in agriculture, oil production, retail, and wholesale trade. It houses a community college and a regional medical center, which give it a service-center feel for the surrounding rural area. The local housing market is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, and home values have seen a slight decline recently. The city’s population has been slowly contracting, and there is little public evidence of new housing development or commercial expansion. Commute times are short, and the built environment is low-density and auto-oriented. For a family considering a move to the area, this is a stable but not growing community with modest economic activity.
Overall, Liberty Middle School serves a student population with considerable economic need in a small, slow-decline rural town. Its academic proficiency, especially in math, is below the already modest levels of the county, and the recent cut-score change makes it difficult to assess whether the school is improving or holding steady. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly about recent instructional initiatives, support for students who are below grade level, and any efforts to address the gaps visible in the seventh-grade results.
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