Epic- and kid-sized upgrades to Lawrence public schools were on display Thursday during the school board’s annual inspection tour.

A new playground set at East Heights School replaced antiquated metal equipment dangerous for children.

“The kids love it,” said Jack Davidson, who joined with other board members on a tour of four elementary schools and three junior high schools. “The place looks a lot better.”

The group began its six-hour circuit at Kennedy School and ended at South Junior High School.

At South the board caught a glimpse of workers finishing installation of an $83,000 set of automated yellow-and-black bleachers in the gym. The gym is used for sports and music programs.

The old seats at South were replaced because they didn’t fit the gym’s curved wall, which created gaps people could fall through, said Tom Bracciano, the district’s director of facilities and operations.

A $90,000 renovation of the football and track facilities at Central Junior High School was another highlight of the tour. Board members also checked out upgrades to Central’s music classrooms.

There were security upgrades at Sunset Hill and Hillcrest schools, new auditorium seating at West Junior High School and a new computer laboratory at Kennedy.

Board member Linda Robinson said the annual tour permitted her to see schools from a different perspective. Normally, she focuses on students when visiting a school.

“But with this,” she said, “you have the principal taking your around. You’re focusing on the whole building and the impact that has on the learning process.”

Austin Turney, the board’s vice president, said he noticed on this tour that Hillcrest School and Central were in need of new windows and doors.

Overall, he said, most people won’t notice much of the work done in the past year. Repairing sidewalks and potholes in parking lots isn’t front-page news, he said.

“Unexciting, but necessary,” he said.