photo by: Shawn Valverde

Residents turn out for the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s Kids Expo at 110 McDonald Drive on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024.

The first day of school in Lawrence is right around the corner, and families have several back-to-school preparations to complete before students return to classrooms.

The 2026-2027 school year for Lawrence students begins with transition day for kindergarten, sixth and ninth graders on Aug. 12, followed by the first day of school for K-12 students on Aug. 13 and preschool and early childhood programs on Aug. 18.

There are multiple deadlines coming up for families to complete before students start school. Annual student enrollment is required for all returning students in grades 1-12 for the 2026-2027 school year. The process verifies student information as well as home addresses and emergency contacts.

Families can enroll their children through their Parent PowerSchool account, and they can login at https://www.usd497.org/parents-and-students/enroll/annual-enrollment. The enrollment deadline is Friday, July 31.

OTHER CALENDAR DATES

There are several dates where students will not have school, including Labor Day on Sept. 7, Fall break from Nov. 23 through Nov. 27, Winter break from Dec. 18 through Jan. 4, Spring break runs March 12 through March 19, and there is no school on April 5.

The school year will wrap up with senior finals beginning May 19 and the last day for seniors on May 20. The last day for preschool kids will be on May 21, and the last day for all K-12 students will be on May 26, which is an early-release day. Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for Lawrence Virtual School on May 22, Lawrence High School on May 25, and Free State High School on May 26.

The school hours and bell schedules for schools in the Lawrence school district can be viewed at https://www.usd497.org/about-us/hours.

BACK2SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE

Community partners are looking to secure donations from the public for an annual Back2School Supply Drive – where school supplies are donated to students in need in Lawrence, Eudora and Baldwin City.

The drive is seeking backpacks, notebooks, No. 2 pencils, 8-packs of markers, plastic pencil boxes, 24-packs of Crayola crayons, Kleenexes, glue sticks, 2-pocket folders, composition notebooks, scissors, over-the-ear headphones, Play-doh, liquid glue, antibacterial wipes, colored pencils, highlighters, and spiral notebooks.

To see the full list of community partners and local businesses hosting donation bins, visit https://www.uwkawvalley.org/back2school.

In addition, people interested in volunteering to pack the backpacks with school supplies on Tuesday, Aug. 4, can sign up at https://www.kawvalleyvolunteers.org/need/index?tag=Douglas+County+-+Back+2+School+Drive. Volunteers will meet at the Salvation Army, 1202 E 23rd St.

The last day to donate school supplies to the drive is Friday, July 31. There is no application needed for families to get supplies. Families just need to contact their school to make sure they are on the list.

ANNUAL KIDS EXPO

The Lawrence Schools Foundation will be hosting its third annual Kids Expo from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 8 at the school district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.

According to a social media post from the foundation, last year, over 2,000 community members attended the event. Families will have access to free shoes, backpacks, school supplies, books, haircuts, health screenings, family activities, giveaways and more.

People can sign up to volunteer at the Kids Expo at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080A4DA9A729A57-64560028-3rdannual#/.