Southwest Junior High is the city’s newest junior high, built in response to a rapid growth during the 1990s in west and southwest Lawrence.

Southwest, which is located at the intersection of Inverness Drive and 27th Street, was opened in the fall of 1995.

The Bulldog was picked as the school’s mascot, and opening enrollment was more than 500 in August 1995.

Enrollment, socioeconomic mix

Southwest now has the largest enrollment of the Lawrence district’s four junior highs.

During September 2004, there were 678 students. The breakdown was as follows: 211 seventh-graders, 213 eighth-graders and 254 ninth-graders.

Southwest draws its students from a boundary area that includes western and southern Lawrence.

The Kansas State Board of Education Report Card includes the socioeconomic mix of all schools.

It reports that 14.29 percent of Southwest’s students are economically disadvantaged.

Southwest Junior High2511 Inverness Dr.Lawrence, KS 66047-1973Phone number: 785-832-5550School Web site:schools.usd497.org/swjhs360 Photo: Indoor pond

Here is the school’s ethnicity breakdown: white, 77.17 percent; African American, 8.25 percent; Hispanic, 4.71 percent; other, 9.87 percent.

Reading scores

According to the latest state report card for Southwest, eighth-grade students showed an increase in reading assessment performance over the previous year’s students.

Also, Southwest students scored higher than their peers in the district and in the state on the eighth-grade reading assessments.

The percentage of the school’s eighth-graders who were “proficient,” “advanced,” or “exemplary” in reading increased from from 79.2 percent to 79.6 percent on the latest state test.

The Lawrence district’s overall reading score for eighth-graders showed that 73.8 percent were either proficent, advanced or exemplary in reading. The overall state score was 75.1 percent for those combined categories.

Math scores

The state report card shows Southwest’s seventh-graders scored higher on the state math assessments than their peers at the district and state levels, earning the school a Standard of Excellence rating.

However, Southwest’s seventh-graders tested in math showed a drop from 77.1 percent in 2003 to 75.7 percent for 2004 for students scoring at either “proficient,” “advanced” or “exemplary” levels.

That compared with 72.1 percent for the entire district and 64.8 percent for the state.

Sports

The city’s four junior highs offer the following sports: boys basketball, girls basketball, cheerleading, football, boys tennis, girls tennis, track, volleyball and wrestling.

High school sports offered at Lawrence’s two high schools are as follows: bowling (new this year), boys baseball, boys basketball, girls basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, girls golf, boys golf, girls gymnastics, boys soccer, girls soccer, girls softball, boys swimming, girls swimming, boys tennis, girls tennis, track, volleyball and wrestling.

Staffing

The school’s staff includes a total of 87 teachers and support staff.

Lynne Renick, an English teacher at the school, received the Lawrence School Foundation Educator of the Year award in 2002.

Trish Bransky has been Southwest’s only principal since it opened in 1994. Before that she was Lawrence High School’s assistant principal for curriculum and instruction.

Bransky first joined the school district in 1983, working as a gifted consultant at West Junior High School. A year later she took the same job at LHS. She became assistant principal in 1991.

All the junior highs begin classes at 8:08 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.

To arrange a visit to Southwest, call 785-832-5550.