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Liberty High School (Iowa)

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Coordinates: 41°44′07″N 91°34′09″W / 41.7354°N 91.5691°W / 41.7354; -91.5691
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Liberty High School
Liberty High School Logo
Address
Map
1400 South Dubuque Street

North Liberty
,
(Johnson County)
,
Iowa
52317

United States
Coordinates41°44′07″N 91°34′09″W / 41.7354°N 91.5691°W / 41.7354; -91.5691
Information
School typePublic
MottoMaking a Difference
Established2017
School districtIowa City Community School District
SuperintendentMatt Degner
PrincipalJustin Colbert
Faculty77.61 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,167 (2022-23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio15.04[1]
Color(s)     
Fight songLiberty Fight Song
Athletics conferenceMississippi Valley Conference
MascotLightning
NewspaperThe Live Wire
YearbookThe Bolt
WebsiteSchool Website

Liberty High School is a public high school in North Liberty, Iowa, located within the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD). It opened in August 2017. Liberty is the third comprehensive high school in ICCSD and covers the entirety of North Liberty and northern Coralville.

Liberty is led by Principal Justin Colbert and Assistant Principals Emily O'Donnell, Keaton Rickels, and Tunisia May.

Facilities

[edit]

The school building, designed by SVPA Architects, Inc. in 2014, began construction in May 2015.[2][3][4] The cost of construction was $75 million.[5]

Liberty High opened to the public on August 12, 2017. The first day of classes began on August 23, 2017.[5]

Liberty High features two gymnasiums, an 800 seat auditorium and classroom space for 1,500 students. The school also features a state-of-the-art media center and other student spaces to facilitate collaboration.

Library

The Liberty Lightning Library is comprehensive library that is part of the ICCSD Library Program. The Liberty Library contains upwards of 14,000 items as well as several online databases. The Liberty Library also counts with two collaborative labs, two integrated classrooms and three conference rooms.[6]

Student Body

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The Iowa City Community School Board voted in January 2015 to open Liberty High as a comprehensive high school.[7] In May, it was announced that North Central Junior High School would become the feeder school for Liberty High.[8][9] However, the decision was overturned a year later.[10] North Central later became the feeder school for Liberty High School.

Approximately 700 students, most of whom were slated to attend Iowa City West High School, will be enrolled at Liberty High School for the 2017–18 school year.[11][12]

Academics & Rankings

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Test Scores:

Average ACT and SAT Scores [13]
ACT SAT
Average Composite Score 29 1410

Key Statistics:

Academic Percentages (average)[14]
Graduation Rate AP Enrollment
87% 23%
11th Grade Percent Proficient in the 2022 Iowa Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP)[15]
School District State
Reading 80.90% 73.57% 70.84%
Math 73.09% 67.22% 64.97%

US News & World Report

  • In 2023, U.S. News & World Report ranked Liberty High School as the #1,524 public high school in the United States.[16]
  • In 2023, US News & World Report ranked Liberty as the #6 public high school in the State of Iowa.[16]
  • In 2023, US News & World Report ranked Liberty as the #2 high school in the Iowa City Community School District.[16]

Niche

  • In 2023, Niche (company) ranked Liberty High School as the #20 best public high school in the State of Iowa out of 326 ranked.[14]

Music

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Liberty features ensembles in Orchestra, Choir, and Band.

Choir is co-directed by Robert Williams and Judy Duncan and is divided into 4 curricular choirs:[17]

  • Treble-Clef Choir, all soprano and alto choir, non-auditioned.
  • Bass-Clef Choir, all tenor and bass choir, non-auditioned.
  • Bella Voce, all soprano and alto choir, auditioned.
  • Liberty Singers, mixed-voice choir, auditioned.

Band is co-directed by Ryan Arp and Nick Carlo and divided into 2 curricular bands:[17]

  • Concert Band, non-auditioned band.
  • Symphony Band, auditioned band.

Orchestra is directed by Johanna Kennedy and is divided into 2 Orchestras.[17]

  • Symphonic Orchestra, non-auditioned.
  • Philharmonic Orchestra, auditioned.

Athletics

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The school mascot, the Lightning, was announced in November 2014.[18] Athletic teams bearing the moniker began practice in December 2015 competing at the freshman level with students that would be moving to Liberty from West High.[19] Full membership in the Mississippi Valley Conference was granted in the 2018–2019 school year, when Liberty began fielding a varsity football team.[20] During the inaugural year, Liberty had varsity programs in volleyball, girls’ and boys’ cross country, boys’ golf (fall), girls’ and boys’ basketball, wrestling, girls’ and boys’ soccer, girls’ and boys’ track and field, girls’ golf (spring), baseball and softball competing as an independent while football was only offered at the freshman and sophomore levels.[21]

  • During the 2022-2023 Volleyball Season, the Liberty Volleyball Team finished ranked #1 in the state of Iowa and undefeated.[citation needed]
  • 2023 Boys' Soccer Class 3A State Champions[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Liberty High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "Schematic design for Liberty High School". North Liberty Leader/Solon Economist. September 5, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  3. ^ "Designwork for Liberty High School is underway". The Press Citizen. November 15, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  4. ^ Hines, Holly (May 13, 2015). "Community anticipates new Liberty High". The Press Citizen. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Excitement building at new Liberty High School in North Liberty". The Gazette. August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  6. ^ "Library / About". www.iowacityschools.org. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  7. ^ Hines, Holly (January 27, 2015). "District to open Liberty High as full school in 2017". The Press Citizen. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  8. ^ Hines, Holly (May 13, 2015). "School Board approves new high school boundaries". The Press Citizen. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  9. ^ Hines, Holly (March 10, 2016). "Views clash on I.C. high school boundaries". The Press Citizen. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  10. ^ Duffy, Molly (July 15, 2016). "How Iowa City's special school board election could impact Liberty High". The Gazette. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  11. ^ Bain, Matthew (April 17, 2017). "How Liberty High could permanently change Iowa City's sports landscape". The Press Citizen. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  12. ^ Hines, Holly; Berg, Zach (August 12, 2017). "Liberty High celebrates historic grand opening". The Press Citizen. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  13. ^ "Liberty High School Rankings". Niche.com. Niche.com. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Explore Liberty High School". Niche. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  15. ^ "School Snapshot / Liberty High Snapshot". www.iowacityschools.org. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  16. ^ a b c "Liberty High School". Niche.com. US News & World Report. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c "Liberty High School Music Department". Liberty Music Department. Liberty High School Music Department. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  18. ^ Hines, Holly (November 11, 2014). "Lightning strikes at Liberty High". The Press Citizen. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  19. ^ Heaton, Nora (December 16, 2015). "Liberty High transition team looks to build athletics community early". North Liberty Leader/Solon Economist. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  20. ^ Linder, Jeff (March 23, 2016). "Kibby will lead Liberty's first steps". The Gazette. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  21. ^ Johnson, Jeff (November 3, 2016). "New Liberty High School will sponsor 14 varsity sports in 1st year". The Gazette. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  22. ^ "2023 Soccer Record Book" (PDF). Iowa High School Athletic Association. September 12, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
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