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Lawrence, Kansas - 20 schools
An equity score of 15/100 ranks Lawrence #240 of 250 districts in Kansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,091 per pupil, Lawrence ranks #256 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending (Kansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
10,909
Total Enrollment
20
Schools
$12,091
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Lawrence operates 20 public schools serving 10,909 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 12 elementary, 4 middle, 2 high, 2 combined schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Douglas County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,091 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the bottom 29 of 285 Kansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 33.8% local, 59.4% state, and 6.8% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 15/100, ranked #240 of 250 in Kansas against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 20 schools offering Advanced Placement (36 AP courses district-wide), a 392.6:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 33.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 60.0% White, 14.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.1% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Hillcrest Elem, with a diversity index of 74.4/100.
Its largest campus is Lawrence Free State High, enrolling 1,774 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Pinckney Elem, at 212 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Lawrence Free State High accounts for 16.3% of all Lawrence student enrollment
That concentration means Lawrence-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Lawrence school enrollment varies 8.4× across entities
Lawrence school enrollment ranges from 212 students (lowest) to 1,774 students (highest), a spread of 1,562 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Lawrence student-counselor ratio is 393:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Lawrence chronic absenteeism rate is 33.8% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Lawrence has 20 schools, including 2 high, 4 middle, 12 elementary, 2 combined. Total enrollment is 10,909 students.
How much does Lawrence spend per student?
Lawrence spends $12,091 per student. The district has an equity score of 15/100, ranking #240 in Kansas.
What is the demographic composition of Lawrence?
Lawrence students are 60.0% White, 14.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.1% African American, 2.5% Asian, averaged across 20 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Lawrence?
Lawrence has an equity score of 15/100, ranking #240 out of 250 districts in Kansas.