Summary:
ZIP code 66049 has six public schools in Lawrence: four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school, spanning elementary through high school grades. The four elementary schools average about 64% proficiency in ELA, 59% in math and 55% in science—above state results by 18, 18 and 17 points, respectively. The most important finding is that those averages conceal a wide divide between elementary schools.
Langston Hughes Elementary stands out, leading its elementary peers in all three subjects: about 79% in ELA, 80% in math and 81% in science. Its lead over the next-highest school is 11 points in ELA, 18 in math and 29 in science; SchoolDigger ranks it 9th of 657 Kansas elementary schools, with five stars. Sunset Hill Elementary is lowest among the four in every subject, at about 48%, 39% and 36%, respectively, and ranks 403rd of 657 with two stars. For older students, Lawrence Free State High is above state results in all three subjects, while Lawrence West Middle School is strongest against the state in science (+9 points) but below it in math (−2 points).
Elementary averages improved from 2024–25 to 2025–26 by 2 points in ELA and 4 in math, but fell 1 point in science. Math rose at all four schools; science moved in different directions, falling 9 points at Quail Run Elementary and 4 at Sunset Hill while rising 6 at Langston Hughes. Recent SchoolDigger rankings also moved in different directions: Free State improved from 53rd to 36th among Kansas high schools, and Langston Hughes from 16th to 9th, while Sunset Hill moved from 364th to 403rd. Other factors do not sort schools into a simple performance order: Langston Hughes has the highest elementary student–teacher ratio, 19.1, and the lowest reported free/reduced-lunch rate, 15%; Sunset Hill has the lowest ratio, 13.9. Free State’s strong test results also coexist with chronic absenteeism of 43%, compared with 18% statewide.
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