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Lawrence Free State High

Q: Is Lawrence Free State High a good school?

Lawrence Free State High ranks 36 th of 340 Kansas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Lawrence Free State High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,774 students attended Lawrence Free State High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Lawrence Free State High?

Students at Lawrence Free State High are 70% White, 10% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 5% African American, 4% Asian, 2% American Indian.

Q: What schools feed into Lawrence Free State High?

Lawrence Free State High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Deerfield Elementary Elementary : New York Elementary Elementary : Quail Run Elementary Elementary : Sunset Hill Elementary Elementary : Woodlawn Elementary Middle : Lawrence Liberty Memorial Central Mid School Middle : Lawrence West Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

36^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 340 Kansas High Schools

Better than 89% of Kansas high schools

Summary

Lawrence Free State High is a public high school serving grades 9–12 in Lawrence, with 1,774 students. Its latest results show stronger-than-state and district proficiency in English language arts (ELA), math, and science, but one concern stands out: 43% of students were chronically absent in 2025–26, far above the state and district rates.

Academically, Free State leads nearby traditional high schools in ELA and math and ranks second in science. Its proficiency rates were 55% in ELA, 52% in math, and 45% in science—about 10, 11, and 7 percentage points above Kansas, respectively, and 4, 8, and 2 points above the Lawrence district. Compared with nearby-school averages of 44% in ELA, 40% in math, and 34% in science, Free State was ahead by 11, 12, and 11 points. It narrowly led Eudora High School in math by 0.3 points, while Eudora led Free State in science; Baldwin High School was the next-highest nearby school in ELA. Absenteeism is also unusually high: Free State’s 43% compares with 27% in the district, 18% statewide, and a 26% nearby-school average; only Lawrence High had a higher rate.

ELA and math have climbed substantially since 2022–23, rising about 22 and 23 points, respectively. Science fell and then recovered, but its latest 45% result is nearly unchanged from 2022–23, and its lead over the state narrowed from 14 points to 7. SchoolDigger ranks Free State 36th of 340 schools, at the 89th percentile with 4 stars; that is the highest nearby ranking, though below its 94th-percentile peak in 2021–22. SchoolDigger’s group rankings show a notable gap: its effectiveness ranking for African American students is at the 36th percentile, compared with 89th overall, down from the 68th percentile in 2023–24. Its Hispanic-student ranking rose from the 56th to the 89th percentile over that period. Free State’s student-teacher ratio is 16.4, about 3 students per teacher above the nearby-school average; its 30% free/reduced-lunch rate is below the local average of 34%.

1,774

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,485

Per pupil spending ?

30.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

4700 Overland Drive
Lawrence, KS 66049-4130

(785) 832-6050

District: Lawrence

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.3%

Two or more races:

9.5%

Hispanic:

9.0%

See top rated Kansas high schools

Compare Lawrence Free State High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 93rd percentile in 2016 → 89th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Kansas average (51% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of Kansas high schools

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (43% vs 18% Kansas)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg46%

Kansas avg42%

36^th of 340

Kansas public high schools ?

Top 11%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From top 7% (2016) to top 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Kansas High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2High Schools in the Lawrence

115^th of 268Lawrence among Kansas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	84.6	36 of 340	89.4%	★★★★☆
2025	84.2	40 of 332	88.0%	★★★★☆
2024	74.9	53 of 318	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	80.0	41 of 327	87.5%	★★★★☆
2022	86.2	19 of 324	94.1%	★★★★★
2021	84.2	30 of 320	90.6%	★★★★★
2019	87.0	20 of 325	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	89.8	21 of 314	93.3%	★★★★★
2017	94.7	14 of 316	95.6%	★★★★★
2016	90.2	21 of 313	93.3%	★★★★★
2015	78.2	39 of 326	88.0%	★★★★☆
2013	67.6	104 of 323	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	65.2	114 of 317	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.3	95 of 298	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2010	65.7	98 of 302	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.7	122 of 291	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2008	48.3	164 of 267	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	64.9	99 of 280	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.5	79 of 262	69.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	35.5	34 of 53	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.8	33 of 52	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.0	16 of 50	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.1	14 of 53	73.6%	★★★★☆
2022	32.7	32 of 50	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.6	27 of 48	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	45.0	21 of 46	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.3	19 of 47	59.6%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	77.3	9 of 31	71.0%	★★★★☆
2025	73.7	8 of 31	74.2%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	8 of 32	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	73.8	8 of 33	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.2	9 of 28	67.9%	★★★★☆
2019	80.2	6 of 32	81.3%	★★★★☆
2018	73.2	9 of 29	69.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	71.6	16 of 115	86.1%	★★★★☆
2019	46.0	48 of 111	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	91.7	6 of 110	94.5%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2023	88.3	2 of 42	95.2%	★★★★★
2019	53.0	13 of 49	73.5%	★★★★☆
2018	75.4	4 of 47	91.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	86.9	19 of 270	93.0%	★★★★★
2021	82.6	25 of 250	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	83.5	25 of 249	90.0%	★★★★★
2018	89.2	22 of 248	91.1%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2021	63.3	11 of 35	68.6%	★★★★☆
2019	56.4	20 of 37	45.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.8	17 of 35	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	80.6	12 of 112	89.3%	★★★★★
2025	66.6	24 of 106	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	48.0	46 of 105	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.5	27 of 110	75.5%	★★★★☆
2022	72.0	20 of 102	80.4%	★★★★☆
2021	97.4	4 of 99	96.0%	★★★★★
2019	88.1	10 of 92	89.1%	★★★★★
2018	76.0	15 of 89	83.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	66.0	52 of 238	78.2%	★★★★☆
2025	54.9	97 of 246	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.1	118 of 249	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.6	83 of 250	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	78.3	23 of 223	89.7%	★★★★★
2021	41.8	128 of 213	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.8	113 of 229	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.4	84 of 228	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	80.5	37 of 272	86.4%	★★★★☆
2021	82.6	31 of 258	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.7	20 of 252	92.1%	★★★★★
2018	89.0	21 of 248	91.5%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2025	46.7	7 of 13	46.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	81.7	9 of 68	86.8%	★★★★☆
2025	72.5	16 of 71	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	39.7	39 of 67	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.4	27 of 64	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.0	19 of 57	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.7	26 of 55	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	74.7	11 of 58	81.0%	★★★★☆
2018	71.6	11 of 49	77.6%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2024	15.9	2 of 2	0.0%	★★★★☆
2023	51.9	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	60.9	31 of 127	75.6%	★★★★☆
2025	62.1	32 of 125	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	68.9	22 of 124	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	71.7	20 of 122	83.6%	★★★★☆
2022	72.3	16 of 117	86.3%	★★★★☆
2021	71.6	16 of 115	86.1%	★★★★☆
2019	46.0	48 of 111	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	91.7	6 of 110	94.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kansas percentile	Rating
2026	84.2	33 of 315	89.5%	★★★★☆
2025	87.1	29 of 306	90.5%	★★★★★
2024	78.4	39 of 295	86.8%	★★★★☆
2023	84.7	26 of 309	91.6%	★★★★★
2022	88.9	11 of 307	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	83.9	27 of 302	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	86.9	20 of 306	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	90.7	21 of 296	92.9%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2023)95th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)93rd percentile+4 vs school

White (2026)90th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)89th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2026)87th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)86th percentile-3 vs school

Disabled (2021)86th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)78th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2026)76th percentile-14 vs school

Asian (2026)71st percentile-18 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2021)69th percentile-22 vs school

Military Connected (2025)46th percentile-42 vs school

African American (2026)36th percentile-54 vs school

Native American (2024)<1st percentile-83 vs school

By subject vs Kansas (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts55%+10 vs state

Mathematics52%+11 vs state

Science45%+7 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, March 7, 2011

Teachers are awful, giving useless homework and never testing or helping students. Close Quote

Schools Near Lawrence Free State High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				KAP English Language Arts (2026)		KAP Mathematics (2026)		KAP Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KAP English Language Arts 10th Grade	KAP English Language Arts All Grades	KAP Mathematics 10th Grade	KAP Mathematics All Grades	KAP Science 11th Grade	KAP Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lawrence Free State High	Public	9-12	4700 Overland Drive	Lawrence	66049	Douglas County	Lawrence	No	No	No	No	(785) 832-6050	1,774	108	16.4	30.3%	1,247 (70.3%)	95 (5.4%)	160 (9.0%)	65 (3.7%)	34 (1.9%)	4 (0.2%)	169 (9.5%)	84.6	36^th of 340 public high schools	89.4%		84.2	40^th of 332 public high schools	88.0%	4	55.4	55.4	52.3	52.3	45.2	45.2	$11,485	$697	$10,788
Lawrence High	Public	9-12	1901 Louisiana St	Lawrence	66046	Douglas County	Lawrence	No	No	No	No	(785) 832-5050	1,454	100	14.5	42.0%	860 (59.1%)	101 (6.9%)	227 (15.6%)	35 (2.4%)	50 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	181 (12.4%)	64.9	102^nd of 340 public high schools	70.0%		51.3	154^th of 332 public high schools	53.6%	52	45.7	45.7	46.3	46.3	32.0	32.0	$12,799	$926	$11,874
Perry Lecompton High	Public	9-12	404 Lecompton Rd	Perry	66073	Jefferson County	Perry Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(785) 597-5124	268	19	14.0	29.9%	226 (84.3%)	3 (1.1%)	19 (7.1%)	3 (1.1%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.2%)	54.7	151^st of 340 public high schools	55.6%		35.6	225^th of 332 public high schools	32.2%	74	39.3	39.3	39.3	39.3	32.1	32.1	$7,197	$2,871	$4,326
Perry Lecompton Virtual	Public	7-12	203 West Bridge Street	Perry	66073	Jefferson County	Perry Public Schools	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(785) 597-5138	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Eudora Schools Virtual Learning	Public, Virtual	6-12	2203 Church St.	Eudora	66025	Douglas County	Eudora	No	No	Yes	No	(785) 542-4989	23	1	46.0	—	18 (78.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (17.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.3%)								(n/a)							$12,393	$00	$12,393
Eudora High School	Public	9-12	2203 Church	Eudora	66025	Douglas County	Eudora	No	No	No	No	(785) 542-4980	558	38	14.5	31.2%	471 (84.4%)	3 (0.5%)	33 (5.9%)	4 (0.7%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (7.7%)	78.7	48^th of 340 public high schools	85.9%		81.8	48^th of 332 public high schools	85.5%		43.9	43.9	52.0	52.0	48.6	48.6	$8,504	$1,124	$7,380
Shawnee Heights High	Public	9-12	4201 SE Shawnee Heights Rd	Tecumseh	66542	Shawnee County	Shawnee Heights	No	No	No	No	(785) 379-5880	1,218	74	16.3	35.3%	760 (62.4%)	64 (5.3%)	260 (21.3%)	7 (0.6%)	9 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	117 (9.6%)	52.9	159^th of 340 public high schools	53.2%		39.7	207^th of 332 public high schools	37.7%	48	44.7	44.7	35.8	35.8	28.1	28.1	$12,216	$576	$11,640
Baldwin High School	Public	9-12	415 Eisenhower	Baldwin City	66006	Douglas County	Baldwin City	No	No	No	No	(785) 594-2725	437	32	13.7	27.7%	373 (85.4%)	10 (2.3%)	24 (5.5%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.5%)	77.9	51^st of 340 public high schools	85.0%		66.5	92^nd of 332 public high schools	72.3%	41	53.9	53.9	48.2	48.2	39.6	39.6	$12,710	$794	$11,916
Tonganoxie High	Public	9-12	404 E Hwy 24-40	Tonganoxie	66086	Leavenworth County	Tonganoxie	No	No	No	No	(913) 416-1460	620	48	12.9	32.4%	517 (83.4%)	5 (0.8%)	59 (9.5%)	5 (0.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.2%)	67.5	95^th of 340 public high schools	72.1%		32.2	236^th of 332 public high schools	28.9%	141	50.3	50.3	37.5	37.5	38.4	38.4	$11,794	$1,262	$10,532
McLouth High	Public	9-12	217 Summit Street	Mc Louth	66054	Jefferson County	McLouth	No	No	No	No	(913) 796-6122	125	13	9.8	42.4%	111 (88.8%)	1 (0.8%)	4 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.2%)	25.8	274^th of 340 public high schools	19.4%		32.3	235^th of 332 public high schools	29.2%	39	31.7	31.7	20.0	20.0	21.2	21.2	$17,865	$700	$17,165

Frequently Asked Questions about Lawrence Free State High

How many students attend Lawrence Free State High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,774 students attended Lawrence Free State High.

Is Lawrence Free State High a good school?

Lawrence Free State High ranks 36^th of 340 Kansas high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Lawrence Free State High in?

Lawrence

What is the racial makeup of Lawrence Free State High?

Students at Lawrence Free State High are 70% White, 10% Two or more races, 9% Hispanic, 5% African American, 4% Asian, 2% American Indian.

What schools feed into Lawrence Free State High?

Lawrence Free State High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Deerfield Elementary
Elementary : New York Elementary
Elementary : Quail Run Elementary
Elementary : Sunset Hill Elementary
Elementary : Woodlawn Elementary
Middle : Lawrence Liberty Memorial Central Mid School
Middle : Lawrence West Middle School

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Latest Kansas data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataNewNov 2, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesNewNov 1, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataOct 13, 2026

2025–26 KAP test scoresOct 13, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kansas State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.