Lawrence Unified School District 497, commonly referred to as Lawrence USD 497 or Lawrence Public Schools, is the governing body of the Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...

 public school system. It was organized in 1965 and currently serves approximately 11,000 students from pre-Kindergarten to grade 12 and maintains 15 elementary schools, four middle schools, two high schools, a K–8 virtual school, a virtual high school, an adult learning center and a diploma-completion program. The district covers most of north central Douglas County

Douglas County, Kansas

Douglas County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 110,826...

, a small portion of Leavenworth County

Leavenworth County, Kansas

Leavenworth County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 76,227. Its county seat and most populous city is Leavenworth...

 and a few square miles of Jefferson County

Jefferson County, Kansas

Jefferson County is a county located in Northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 19,126. Its county seat is Oskaloosa, and its most populous city is Valley Falls...

.

District headquarters are located at 110 McDonald Drive in Lawrence.

School Board

USD 497 is currently served by seven elected officials who serve a four-year term without salary.

Current board members are Mark Bradford, Bob Byers, Mary Loveland, Marlene Merrill, Rich Minder, Scott Morgan and Vanessa Sanburn.

Elementary Schools

• Broken Arrow
• Cordley
• Deerfield
• Hillcrest
• Kennedy (pre-K through 6)
• Langston Hughes
  Langston Hughes
  James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
  
  
• New York
• Pinckney
• Prairie Park
• Quail Run
• Schwegler
• Sunflower
• Sunset Hill
• Woodlawn

Middle Schools

Until 2011, all middle school were called junior highs and had grades 7–9. As of 2011, middle schools have grades 6–8 and high schools have 9–12.

• Liberty Memorial Central Middle School
• South Middle School
• Southwest Middle School
• West Middle School

High Schools

• Lawrence Free State High School
  Lawrence Free State High School
  Lawrence Free State High School is a fully accredited public high school, serving students in grades 9–12, located in Lawrence, Kansas. The current principal is Edward West....
  
  
• Lawrence High School
  Lawrence High School (Kansas)
  Lawrence High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Lawrence, Kansas, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of the two public high schools located in the city. Lawrence High enrolled 1,260 students in the 2007-2008 school year...
  
  

Additional services

• Lawrence Virtual Schools, a K–8 and high school program located in former Centennial Elementary School
• Adult Learning Center, helps adult obtain a GED, located in the Lawrence High School annex
• Lawrence Diploma-Completion Program, helps adult obtain a Lawrence High, Free State or Perry-Lecompton
  Perry-Lecompton USD 343
  Perry-Lecompton USD 343 is a unified school district serving portions of southern Jefferson County and northwestern Douglas County...
  
  high school diploma, located in the Malls Shopping Center

External links

• Official site