Liberty 53
Liberty 53 is a public school district based in Liberty, Missouri, serving 11,826 students in 20 schools. By enrollment it ranks #16 of the 166 Missouri districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 91% of them. Its schools average 591 students each, more than the Missouri median of 443. Its superintendent is Dr. Jennifer Kephart. It spends about $11,255 per student on day-to-day operations, 10% more than the Missouri median. It has roughly 13.8 students per teacher.
How Liberty 53 compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Liberty 53 | Missouri median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $11,255 | $10,251 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $6,003 | $5,958 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $165.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $183.4 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 856 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 2,019 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 13.8 | 13.4 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 303 | 312 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Missouri median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Dr. Jennifer Kephart
Source: Missouri DESE, School Directory, checked 2026-10-05. Report a change
In the news
0 stories matchedWe haven't matched any stories to Liberty 53 yet. Recent Missouri coverage is on the Missouri page.
Peer districts in Missouri
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park HillKansas City | 11,937 | 20 | $13,126 | 13.4 | #15 |
| Liberty 53Liberty · this district | 11,826 | 20 | $11,255 | 13.8 | #16 |
| St. JosephSt Joseph | 10,430 | 25 | $11,027 | 13.0 | #17 |
| Fox C-6Arnold | 10,258 | 18 | $10,225 | 13.1 | #18 |
| Mehlville R-IXSt Louis | 10,018 | 18 | $10,367 | 14.0 | #19 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks North Star Borough School DistrictFairbanks, AK | 11,857 | $20,536 | 19.5 |
| Perris Union HighPerris, CA | 11,832 | $12,648 | 23.8 |
| Walled Lake Consolidated SchoolsWalled Lake, MI | 11,818 | $12,504 | 17.0 |
| Spartanburg 02Chesnee, SC | 11,806 | $10,370 | 15.9 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-mo-liberty-53