The Firebirds compete in the Sunflower League and are classified as a 6A school, the largest classification in Kansas according to the
Kansas State High School Activities Association. Throughout its history, Lawrence Free State has won twenty-nine state championships in various sports and activities. Some graduates have gone on to participate at the collegiate and professional levels.
Athletic programs From the school's inception in 1997 until 2008, football games were played at
Haskell Memorial Stadium. Some games were also played at
Memorial Stadium at the
University of Kansas. Games are now played in a home stadium built in 2009–2010, when a stadium was built for Lawrence High School as well.
Fall sports Boys' cross country, girls' cross country, gymnastics, boys' soccer, girls' tennis, football, girls' golf, volleyball, competitive cheer, dance, and girls' flag football
Winter sports Boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' bowling, girls' bowling, boys' swim and dive, boys' wrestling, cheer, dance, and girls' wrestling
Spring sports Baseball, softball, boys' golf, girls' soccer, boys' tennis, girls' swim and dive, boys' track and field, and girls' track and field
Non-athletic programs Music Program Free State's music program is recognized as a top program throughout the state of Kansas. The Free State
chamber choir, advanced treble choir (Aurora), and
concert chorale have all received "I" Ratings at KSHSAA every year since their inception in 1997.
Theatre Free State's theatre program is regionally recognized, and has performed shows such as
Fiddler on the Roof,
The Pajama Game, and
Anything Goes. The theatre program performed at the Kansas Thespian Festival in
Wichita in 2019 and was named a Gold Honor Troupe there. They were chosen again for Main Stage Adjudication in 2025 to perform
The Addams Family: School Edition at the 2026 Kansas Thespian Festival.
Marching Band The Free State
marching band were grand champions at the
Missouri Western State University Tournament of Champions in 2000, 2001, and 2002, in addition to being finalists at the
University of Central Missouri Festival of Champions in 2006 and 2007, and the Kansas Bandmasters Marching Championships in 2015. They also won First Place Overall in
Andover, Kansas Orchestra The Free State
orchestra traveled to
Los Angeles in early 2019.
Awards In the fall of 2019, Free State won the
KSHSAA Performing Arts School of Excellence Award for success in Choir, Band, Orchestra, Theater, Debate, and Forensics. They won a second time in 2025, becoming the first school to win this award twice.
Scholars Bowl In 2017, Free State's
Scholars Bowl team placed first in the 6A division state championship tournament.
Debate In 2022, debate became the first extracurricular activity at Free State to win a National Championship by winning the 2022
Tournament of Champions.
State championships ==Notable alumni==