This week marks the start of commencement ceremonies in Lawrence, beginning Friday with Haskell Indian Nations University and continuing next week with local high schools, KU and more.
The following information for each of the upcoming celebrations is from their respective school district or school.
Haskell Indian Nations University: 10 a.m. Friday, May 8 at Coffin Sports Complex, 155 Indian Ave.
Commencement will be livestreamed at this link. There will also be a commencement luncheon after the ceremony at Curtis Hall, 350 Oneida Ave., for all attendees.
The Graduation Powwow is set for Friday and Saturday, May 8 and 9. More information can be found on this flyer.
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C-Tran (Community Transition Program): 9 a.m. Friday, May 15 at Community Connections at Pinckney, 810 W. Sixth St.
Project SEARCH: 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 15 at Community Connections at Pinckney, 810 W. Sixth St.
Lawrence Virtual School: 1 p.m. Saturday, May 16 at the Free State High School auditorium, 4700 Overland Drive.
Free State High School journalists will livestream the ceremony at this link.
University of Kansas: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 17 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, 1101 Mississippi St.
Commencement will be livestreamed at commencement.ku.edu, and answers to frequently asked questions about the event are available at this link.
Free State High School: 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19 at the Allen Fieldhouse, 1651 Naismith Drive.
Free State journalism students will livestream the ceremony at this link.
Lot 90 will be marked and designated for graduating seniors and families free of charge. Accessible parking is available for free in Lots 71, 125, and 127.
Additional parking will be available in the Allen Fieldhouse parking garage, payable through the “HONK” mobile app.
Lawrence High School: 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 20 at the LHS football stadium, 1901 Louisiana St. Golf carts will be available to provide courtesy transportation assistance to the stadium.
Room 308 Productions, a team of video and animation students at LHS, will livestream the ceremony at this link.
In the case of inclement weather, a decision will be made and communicated by 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, and the ceremony will be relocated to Allen Fieldhouse.
ASL interpreters will be present for both Free State and Lawrence High ceremonies.
Bishop Seabury Academy’s Stepping Up ceremony: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at Seabury, 4120 Clinton Parkway.
Adult Education Services: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 28 at the Lawrence College and Career Center, 2910 Haskell Ave.
In addition, Project Graduation — a free, citywide party for all area high school seniors graduating with the Class of 2026 — is set for 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Wednesday, May 20 at Abe and Jake’s Landing, 8 E. Sixth St. Students should bring photo IDs to enter.
Note: Post updated at 6:01 p.m. Thursday, May 7 to add more info
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More: 2026 Graduations
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
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Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
