Seward County Schools & Education
Seward County, Kansas
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
37/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
84.6%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
84.6%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 88.7%
Per-Pupil Spending
$7,449
National avg $13,239
State avg $9,009
School Score
37/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 61/100
State Score Position
#97
of 105 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Seward County
Measured School Summary
Seward County faces educational challenges with a school score of 37/100 and a graduation rate of 84.6%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $7,449 per pupil, Seward County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 40% below the Kansas average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 4.1 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 17% lower than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Seward County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
10 public schools and 2 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
37/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #97 of 105 Kansas counties with school score data.
Completion
84.6%
4.1 pts below the state average
Funding context
$7,449
$1,560 below the state average
School coverage
10
2 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Seward County has 10 public schools across 2 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Seward County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Dominant-district county
Liberal carries most of the listed public-school system, with 8 of 10 schools. Start there, then verify whether your target address sits inside that district slice.
State position
#97
of 105 Kansas counties with school score data. The county score is 24 points below the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Liberal
Elementary to high school visible
4,659 students
8 listed schools in this county slice.
Kismet-Plains
Elementary and high visible
474 students
2 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Liberal is the largest listed district slice, with 8 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Seward County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Seward County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Seward County Per-Pupil Expenditure Below State Average
Education data brief for Seward County, Kansas.
Seward County’s per-pupil expenditure of $7,449 is notably lower than the Kansas state average of $9,009 and the national average of $13,000. The county’s graduation rate is 84.6%, which is lower than the state’s 88.7% and the national mark of 87.0%. Additionally, the composite school score of 36.7 sits below the state average of 61.0. Educational services are provided by two districts, with Liberal serving 4,659 of the county's 5,133 students across eight schools. The largest school is Liberal Senior High, with 1,353 students. The county maintains 10 public schools in total, with a mix of rural and town locales, and has zero charter schools. The average school size is 513 students, which is higher than many surrounding rural Kansas counties. Compare district boundaries before drawing conclusions.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
10
in Seward County
Reported Enrollment
5,133
10 schools reporting
School Districts
2
districts
Charter Schools
0
0% of total
School Level Breakdown
2 School Districts in Seward County
Liberal
GuideKismet-Plains
10 Public Schools in Seward County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Dedicated profile pages are available for 1 high-enrollment school; every NCES public school remains listed here.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 10 of 10 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Sr High | Profile | Liberal | Liberal, 67905Town: Remote | 9–12 | High | 1,353 |
| Sunflower Elementary School | Record | Liberal | Liberal, 67905Town: Remote | PK–5 | Primary | 582 |
| Eisenhower Middle School | Record | Liberal | Liberal, 67905Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 559 |
| Cottonwood Elementary School | Record | Liberal | Liberal, 67905Town: Remote | KG–5 | Primary | 498 |
| Seymour Rogers Middle School | Record | Liberal | Liberal, 67905Rural: Fringe | 6–8 | Middle | 496 |
| Prairie View Elementary School | Record | Liberal | Liberal, 67905Rural: Fringe | KG–5 | Primary | 401 |
| MacArthur Elementary School | Record | Liberal | Liberal, 67905Town: Remote | KG–5 | Primary | 391 |
| Meadowlark Elementary School | Record | Liberal | Liberal, 67905Rural: Fringe | KG–5 | Primary | 379 |
| Southwestern Heights Jr/Sr High | Record | Kismet-Plains | Kismet, 67859Rural: Remote | 6–12 | High | 322 |
| Kismet Elem | Record | Kismet-Plains | Kismet, 67859Rural: Remote | PK–2 | Primary | 152 |
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$7,449
State avg $9,009
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Seward County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
Open CompareBrowse Public Schools
See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.
View SchoolsFrequently Asked Questions
Which Kansas counties have the highest graduation rates?
What is per-pupil spending like in Kansas?
How should I read the school score in Seward County?
What is the graduation rate in Seward County?
How much does Seward County spend per student?
Counties with Similar School Profile
Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.