Sunset Hill Elem

Set in Lawrence, Kansas, Sunset Hill Elem is an average-sized elementary-level community, run under Lawrence. It caters to 398 students across grades K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 27% above the state mean of about 313.

Within Lawrence, which oversees 18 schools and 10,380 students, Sunset Hill Elem is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Sunset Hill Elem records that 60% of the student body identifies as White; the rest looks like 20% multiracial, 13% Hispanic, 4% Black. By comparison, Douglas County as a whole is about 78% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, The school currently runs with 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.0:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Sunset Hill Elem higher than the state norm the norm. About 51% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Douglas County (around 40%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

With demographic context factored in, Sunset Hill Elem sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 37.7%; this one delivers 40.3%.

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%. In all, Douglas County runs 30 public schools (combined enrollment of about 13,766 students), of which Sunset Hill Elem is one.

Lawrence West Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Sunset Hill Elem comes 5th of 8 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 43.2%.

Geographically, the school is in a metropolitan area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Sunset Hill Elem has climbed 4%, going from 383 students in 2018 to 398 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share decreased from 65% to 60%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 15.0:1 in 2018 to 14.0:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.