I was wondering if we were thinking of the same Lawrence - but I read a response to your question in the advice section that spoke about Lawrence MA and I went with that!
I lived in Kansas in 1971 - I'm afraid my information would be highly outdated!
Will you be living in Lawence proper or in a surrounding town?
Lawrence is an urban city with a very diverse population. The school system deals with the typical challenges of a large city with a somewhat transient population. If you live in Lawrence proper, your public school will be dictated by your location within the city. I believe it only has one public HS.
There are suburban towns surrounding Lawrence that have more high performing school systems. Unfortunatly, the real estate prices are higher outside of Lawrence proper.
Andover and Boxford are two communities with top school systems. Be careful of North Andover - they have experienced a number of budget cuts and lay-offs. You could also consider districts in Southern NH such as Salem, Atkinson and Pelham.
As far as private schools, Esperanza Academy is a wonderful school for Middle school Girls.
Check the MA DOE website for MCAS results - this will give you an idea of how each district compares.
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