Lawrence Southwest Middle School

Lawrence Southwest Middle School is a middle school of high-enrollment scale in Lawrence, Kansas, one of the schools within Lawrence, caters to 641 students in grades 6 through 8. By comparison, Kansas's public schools average about 402 students each, so Lawrence Southwest Middle School sits 59% bigger than that benchmark.

Lawrence comprises 18 schools with combined enrollment of 10,380 students; Lawrence Southwest Middle School is among them.

Looking at the student body, Lawrence Southwest Middle School reports that 69% of the student body identifies as White; the rest looks like 12% multiracial, 9% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 4% Black. The wider county runs roughly 78% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Lawrence Southwest Middle School has 41 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.6:1. The state averages around 12.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 25% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Douglas County runs at roughly 40%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Lawrence Southwest Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 50.3%; this one delivers 47.5%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Douglas County put the typical household earns roughly $69,746 per year, 53% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. Across Douglas County's 30 public schools (combined enrollment of about 13,766 students), Lawrence Southwest Middle School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Sunflower Elementary, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Lawrence Southwest Middle School at 4th of 9; the average score across the group is 48.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a downtown area.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Lawrence Southwest Middle School has stayed largely flat, going from 645 students in 2018 to 641 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio rose from 12.4:1 in 2018 to 15.6:1 today.

On allk12, posts here usually surface around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.