When school starts in Lawrence Public Schools and more to know for 2025-26

Here’s info on when students go back to Lawrence Public Schools, when breaks are scheduled, school supply lists and more for the 2025-26 school year.

Back to school

Kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade will have a half-day on Tuesday, Aug. 12 to help students transition into their new school buildings. 

The first full day of school for kindergarten through 12th grade in Lawrence Public Schools is Wednesday, Aug. 13.

The early childhood programs at Kennedy and New York will begin Tuesday, Aug. 19. 

School supplies

Here are school supply lists for each grade, EC-5 (click here to open the PDF in a new tab): 

2025-26-School-supply-list

School hours

Here are the start and dismissal times, including “wacky Wednesdays” and half-day dismissal times, for each school (click here to open the PDF in a new tab): 

2025-2026_LPS_School_Hours-revised

Note: This is an updated version of this table, added to this post on July 29, 2025. A PDF of school hours for 2025-26 from the school district that was previously included here contained inaccurate information, according to the district.

Mark your calendars: Breaks and days off

Fall break will be Monday through Friday, Nov. 24 through 28. Students return Monday, Dec. 1.

Winter break is Monday, Dec. 22 through Monday, Jan. 5. Students return Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Spring break is Friday, March 13 through Friday, March 20. Students return Monday, March 23.

There is no school for early childhood through high school seniors on Monday, Sept. 1; Monday, Sept. 15; Friday, Oct. 10; Friday, Oct. 17; Monday, Jan. 19; Friday, Feb. 6; Friday, Feb. 13; and Friday, April 17. 

In addition to the districtwide days off, early childhood through fifth grade will have no school on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Early childhood through eighth grade will not have school on Thursday, Oct. 16.

Kindergartners will not have school on Wednesday, April 22. 

There is no inclement weather day on this year’s calendar.

Parent-teacher conferences

Thursday, Oct. 9 is the end of the first quarter; Friday, Dec. 19 is the end of the second quarter; and Thursday, March 12 is the end of the third quarter.

Parent-teacher conferences for early childhood through eighth grade will be held on Thursday, Oct. 16, and conferences for early childhood through fifth grade will be on Thursday, Feb. 12. Students in those grades will not be in school on conference days.

Schools will communicate more details about conferences as the dates approach. 

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Finals and the last day of school

Final exams for high schoolers will be half-days. All high schoolers will have finals on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 18 and 19. 

Seniors will also have finals Thursday and Friday, May 14 and 15, and students in ninth, 10th, and 11th grades will have finals Wednesday and Thursday, May 20 and 21. 

The last day for high school seniors and early childhood students at Kennedy will be Friday, May 15.

The last day of school for kindergarten through 11th grades will be an early release day on Thursday, May 21. 

Here’s a full PDF of the district calendar. (Click here to open it in a new tab.)

2025-26-USD-497-calendar

Save the dates: Class of 2026 graduations

Lawrence Virtual School’s graduation will be Saturday, May 16; Free State’s will be Tuesday, May 19; and Lawrence High’s will be Wednesday, May 20.

Graduations for adult education and other programs are not listed on the district calendar. 

Coverage of individual graduations and a roundup of upcoming graduation information will be available at lawrencekstimes.com/graduation. 

Additional helpful info

Lunches and breakfasts

The Lawrence school board recently approved the following meal prices:

Meal	Elementary	Middle	High school
Breakfast	$2.10	$2.20	$2.25
Lunch	$3.10	$3.30	$3.35

You can apply for your student(s) to be part of the free and reduced-price lunch program for 2025-26 at this link on the district’s website. Reduced-price breakfasts cost 30 cents and lunches cost 40 cents. There’s also more information for households available there.

If your child was approved for free or reduced-price lunches last year, your approval is effective until Sept. 24, but families will need to reapply for the 2025-26 year.

Transportation

The state only provides funding for transportation for students who live more than 2.5 miles from their school.

Eligible families may enroll in the student transportation program between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday at First Student, 1548 E. 23rd St., Suite C.

Learn more about transportation, 2025-26 bus routes and how to apply at this link.

Looking ahead: Kindergarten 2026-27

Orientation for next year’s new kindergartners will be Wednesday, April 22. Children who reach age 5 on or before Aug. 31, 2026 will be eligible for kindergarten registration for the 2026-2027 school year.

Information on school district boundaries, enrollment and more can be found on the district’s website at this link. 

More info and ongoing coverage

The district’s website includes resources, forms and more for parents and students. Find those at this link.

The school district is overseen by the Lawrence school board. Learn more about the board members, when they meet, how to contact them and more at this link.

Follow our coverage of important happenings in Lawrence schools at lawrencekstimes.com/usd497. You can also sign up for our email newsletters to make sure you don’t miss any crucial news.

What stories are we missing, and what resources would be most helpful for you? Please let us know — fill out our quick contact form or drop us an email at Hello@LawrenceKSTimes.com. 

Molly Adams (she/her), photo editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2022. She can be reached at molly@lawrencekstimes.com.

Check out more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.

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