School attendance up over last year

After the first full day of school for all grades on Monday, attendance in the Lawrence school district is unofficially up by 198 students.

The official enrollment counts that determine the schools’ state and federal funding levels will take place Sept. 20, said Julie Boyle, communications director for the district.

The total attendance on Tuesday was 11,448 students; 11,250 students were present on Aug. 23, 2011. The middle schools had the highest increase of students with a total of 129 new students and an average of 26. The school with the biggest drop in enrollment was Sunflower School, which lost 42 students, according to the preliminary numbers.