Sunflower Elementary

As a mid-sized primary school in Lawrence, Kansas, Sunflower Elementary hosts 444 students from grades K through 5, operated by Lawrence. Enrollment runs roughly 42% bigger than the state mean of about 313.

Across the 18 schools in Lawrence (10,380 students total), Sunflower Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Sunflower Elementary reports that 60% of the student body identifies as White; the rest is composed of 14% Hispanic, 14% multiracial, 7% Black, 3% Native American. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 78%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Sunflower Elementary has 33 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 13.4:1. That tracks the state average closely. Roughly 43% of students at Sunflower Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Sunflower Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 41.6%; this one delivers 49.9%.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Douglas County) reports that median household earnings sit near $69,746, roughly 53% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. Across Douglas County's 30 public schools (combined enrollment of about 13,766 students), Sunflower Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Lawrence Southwest Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Sunflower Elementary. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Sunflower Elementary ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 47.7%.

The campus sits in a downtown setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count remained close to its prior level: 452 students in 2018 compared to 444 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 66% to 60% across the same window. Class-load math has tightened: from 16.4:1 in 2018 to 13.4:1 in 2025.

On this page, members of the Sunflower Elementary community share and discuss classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. The community welcomes input from current and former families.