Last week, the Journal-World carried a story about the National Merit scholarship program with photos of 10 Free State High School students, two Lawrence High School students and one Bishop Seabury Academy student who have been selected as semifinalists for the prestigious award.

Finalists will be announced in February and scholarship winners in four separate announcements between April and July.

Congratulations to the semifinalists. You already are winners.

This story, however, raises many questions.

According to state enrollment reports, both Free State and Lawrence High have about 1,500 students. Seabury is a much smaller private school.

Why the disparity in the number of Merit semifinalists between Free State and LHS?

Does one school have better teachers or better and smarter students? Does one school do a better job of motivating students? Does one school have better facilities and better teaching/learning tools? Do demographic differences between students at the two schools make a significant difference?

There likely are many other comparisons that could be raised, but, whatever the case, it is troubling, in a city the size of Lawrence, for one school to seem to have more students who qualify for high academic recognition and awards.

The same questions could be raised relative to athletics teams at the two schools. A few years ago, the Journal-World initiated a World Company Cup to compare athletic achievements at the two schools. Every year, Free State athletes won the competition.

By the way, some in Lawrence have urged the Journal-World to discontinue the award because they didn’t think it was right to portray some as winners and others as losers. Too much emphasis was being placed on winning, they said.

All of this raises the question of why such clear differences exist between the two schools. This writer has heard teachers, parents and real estate agents talk about encouraging people moving to Lawrence to establish residences north of 15th Street/Bob Billings Parkway — the dividing line between the two high school attendance areas — so their children could attend Free State.

There are many who point to some numbers of Lawrence’s better athletes who live south of 15th/Bob Billings but have gone to school and competed with Free State teams. Does the boundary line really mean anything these days?

In addition to finding answers to why Free State students seem to win more academic and athletic contests, perhaps there should be serious study about the correctness or relevance of the current high school attendance boundary. If 15th and Bob Billings is the right dividing point, then it should be enforced rather than having students or their parents figuring out ways to cross the border. If the line is out of date, perhaps changes should be considered.

It is wrong and dangerous for a city the size of Lawrence to have one high school seen as the best or smartest or having the best athletes.

Competition is good in so many ways, but whether in sports or academics, the playing field should be level. The goal in Lawrence should be to have two outstanding public high schools and excellent private schools. If academic and athletic results are an accurate reflection, the current situation is not healthy.