Here’s info on when students go back to Lawrence Public Schools, when breaks are scheduled, school supply lists and more for the 2026-27 school year.
Back to school
First day of school
Students in kindergarten, sixth grade and ninth grade will have a half-day on Wednesday, Aug. 12 to help them transition into their new school buildings.
The first full day of school for kindergarten through 12th grade in Lawrence Public Schools is Thursday, Aug. 13.
The early childhood programs at Kennedy and New York will begin Tuesday, Aug. 18. (Note: This date has been corrected.)
School supplies
Here are school supply lists for each grade, EC-5, as published on the district’s website (click here to open the PDF in a new tab):
2026-27-school-supply-lists-usd-497Students can get free supplies — as well as haircuts, shoes, health screenings and more — at the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s third annual Kids Expo.
That’s set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive; read more at this link.
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):
2026-27-School-hours-USD-497Mark your calendars: Breaks and days off
A brief overview: District staff members aimed to make days off across grade levels overlap as much as possible this year, so there are only a couple of days on the calendar that certain grades have off that others don’t. This year, the district also added Indigenous Peoples Day as a paid holiday for staff, and there will be no school that day (Monday, Oct. 12).
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Fall break will be Monday through Friday, Nov. 23 through 27. Students return Monday, Nov. 30.
Winter break is Friday, Dec. 18 through Monday, Jan. 4. Students return Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Spring break is Friday, March 12 through Friday, March 19. Students return Monday, March 22.
There is no school for early childhood through high school seniors on Monday, Sept. 7; Friday, Sept. 25; Friday, Oct. 9; Monday, Oct. 12; Friday, Oct. 16; Monday, Jan. 18; Friday, Feb. 12; Friday, Feb. 19; Monday, April 5; and Friday, April 30.
Early childhood through eighth grade will not have school on Thursday, Oct. 15. and early childhood through fifth grade will not have school Thursday, Feb. 18.
Kindergartners will not have school on Wednesday, April 21. That will be the day of new kindergarten orientation.
Parent-teacher conferences
Thursday, Oct. 8 is the end of the first quarter; Thursday, Dec. 17 is the end of the second quarter; and Thursday, March 11 is the end of the third quarter.
Fall parent-teacher conferences for early childhood through high school will be held the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 14; for early childhood through eighth grade, during the day Thursday, Oct. 15 (and those students will be out of school); and for high schoolers, during the evening of Thursday, Oct. 15.
Spring parent-teacher conferences for early childhood through high school will be held the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 17; for early childhood through fifth grade, during the day Thursday, Feb. 18 (and those students will be out of school); and for middle and high schoolers, during the evening of Thursday, Feb. 18.
Schools will communicate more details about conferences as the dates approach.
Finals and the last day of school
Final exams for high schoolers will be half-days. All high schoolers will have fall semester finals on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 16 and 17.
Seniors will have spring finals Wednesday and Thursday, May 19 and 20. Students in ninth, 10th and 11th grades will have spring finals on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 25 and 26.
The last day for high school seniors will be Thursday, May 20.
The last day for preschoolers and early childhood will be Friday, May 21.
The last day of school for kindergarten through 11th grades will be an early release day on Wednesday, May 26.
Here’s a full PDF of the district calendar. (Click here to open it in a new tab.)
2026-27-USD-497-community-calendarSave the dates: Class of 2027 graduations
Lawrence Virtual School’s graduation will be Saturday, May 22; Lawrence High’s will be Tuesday, May 25; and Free State’s will be Wednesday, May 26, according to the district’s calendar.
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.
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Local higher ed dates, for reference
University of Kansas: Fall classes begin for KU students on Monday, Aug. 24. Fall break is Saturday, Oct. 17 through Tuesday, Oct. 20. Thanksgiving break is Wednesday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 29. The last day of classes is Thursday, Dec. 10, and the last day of finals is Friday, Dec. 18.
Spring classes begin for KU students on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Spring break will be Monday, March 15 through Sunday, March 21. The last day of classes is Thursday, May 6, and the last day of finals is Friday, May 14.
See KU’s fall academic calendar at this link and its spring academic calendar at this link.
Haskell Indian Nations University: Fall classes begin for Haskell students on Monday, Aug. 31. Fall break will be Wednesday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 29. Fall classes end on Friday, Dec. 4, and final exams run the week of Monday, Dec. 7 through Thursday, Dec. 10.
Spring classes for Haskell students begin Tuesday, Jan. 19. Spring break will be Monday, March 15 through Friday, March 19. Spring classes end Friday, April 30, and final exams run the week of Monday, May 3 through Thursday, May 6.
See Haskell’s 2026-27 academic calendar at this link.
Additional helpful info
Lunches and breakfasts
The Lawrence school board recently approved the following meal prices:
| Meal | Elementary | Middle | High school |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | $2.20 | $2.30 | $2.35 |
| Lunch | $3.25 | $3.45 | $3.50 |
You can apply for your student(s) to be part of the free and reduced-price lunch program for 2026-27 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 Wednesday, Sept. 23, but families will need to reapply for the 2026-27 year.
New tech policy
In order to comply with a new state law, the Lawrence school board has approved a new policy disallowing students’ use of personal electronic devices while they’re in school.
The board already approved a cell phone policy in December 2024, but the new state law requires a stricter approach. Under the previous policy, high school students were allowed to access phones during lunch, but the new rule eliminates that exception and says devices need to be inaccessible during the school day.
The policy covers “any wireless electronic communication device that provides voice, text, or radio communication between two or more parties,” including cell phones, tablets, computers, smartwatches, wireless headphones or earbuds and text messaging devices.
Exceptions will apply for students with an IEP or Section 504 plan and for students whose use has been approved by a licensed physician as medically necessary.
Read more about the policy at this link, and see the policy draft PDF at this link. Board members will consider the policy for final approval during their Monday, Aug. 10 meeting.
More info and ongoing news 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 free email newsletters to make sure you don’t miss any crucial news.
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Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
