Fourth-grader Hannah Fowler braced herself Wednesday for the first day of class in her new school.

“I felt a little nervous, but a little excited,” said Fowler, who transferred to Deerfield School because the Lawrence district closed Riverside School in a budget-cutting move.

Elementary students in grades one through six had their first full day of classes Wednesday while seventh-graders and high school sophomores attended for a half-day of classes. They’ll be joined today by all middle school and high school students for a full day of classes. Kindergartners will report either today or Friday on an alternate schedule.

Fowler was among about 900 Lawrence students displaced by the school board’s decision to close Riverside, Centennial and East Heights schools in May.

This school year, elementary students were divided among 15 schools.

In the case of Riverside, about 50 students were assigned to both Deerfield and Pinckney schools.

Riverside had been the district’s smallest school with an enrollment no greater than 110, but Deerfield packs in 550 students and Pinckney about 350.

Fifth-grader Tyffani Shoemate, 10, couldn’t help but notice on the first day that Pinckney’s enrollment was several times larger than at Riverside. She could see it in the cafeteria, on the playground and in the hallways.

“It’s a much, much bigger school,” Shoemate said. “But I like it here.”

Students head to school for the first day of classes at Woodlawn School in North Lawrence. Wednesday was the first day of school for students in first through seventh grades and 10th grade in the Lawrence school district.

Lesa Frantz, principal at Pinckney, said the biggest challenge for transfer students would be acquiring new friends.

“The hardest is just … getting past that hump,” she said.

That’s a challenge being addressed by former Riverside student Reid Buckingham, a second-grader at Deerfield.

“One of my closest friends went to Langston Hughes School,” he said. “At first, I thought it was going to be a problem, but I made some friends.”

Third-grader Johnathan Roberts, 8, said he viewed moving from Riverside to Deerfield as an opportunity to create more friendships.

“That’s the best thing,” he said.

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Buckingham said field trips taken in the spring by students at schools slated for closure were helpful.

The tours helped students get a feel for their new surroundings, he said.

Buckingham said a comment he attributed to his “extremely nice” second-grade teacher, Deborah Francisco, also allowed him to relax a bit.

“I’ve got a teacher who only takes away recess three times a year,” Buckingham said.

Because of consolidation, East Heights students were assigned to New York and Kennedy schools. Centennial students were allocated to Cordley and Schwegler schools. Some of Cordley’s students were sent to Broken Arrow School.