Our School

The educational facility at 340 North Tyler Road, formerly Madonna High School and now Lawrence E. Wilbur Middle School, has an unusual and special history of service to the community. The school owns the rather unique distinction of having served two major educational systems and having been involved in both parochial and public school traditions.

On September 1, 1965, ground was broken by Bishop Byrne for a new high school for the Catholic Diocese of Wichita. Feagins and Kirsch were architects for the structure which was dedicated March 19, 1967. By 1971, it became apparent the Diocese could no longer financially afford to maintain the all-girls high school, and the facility was offered for sale to the Board of Education of USD 259.

On March 30, 1971, Madonna High School was purchased by the Board of Education at a cost of $1,000,000. The sum of $175,000 was allocated for remodeling to prepare the school for use as a junior high school by September 1971.

The name was officially changed on May 24, 1971 to Lawrence E. Wilbur Junior High School. Lawrence E. Wilbur was a teacher and administrator in the Wichita schools. For many years he was business manager and secretary-treasurer of the largest school system in Kansas. He was a product of the community, having been educated at Peterson Elementary School (then a one-room building), at Allison Junior High, and at Wichita High School East.

During its first year of operation as a public school, Wilbur served only grades seven and eight, and the beginning enrollment was 718. With addition of the ninth grade in 1972-73, the enrollment increased to 1,107, and the student population remained around this level until 1988.

In 1972-73, a boys gymnasium and industrial arts complex was added at a cost of $400,000. A running track was completed in 1976.

In the fall of 1988, all ninth graders were moved to high schools leaving 739 seventh and eighth graders. In the fall of 1989, all junior high schools became middle schools (6-8). For a short time, Wilbur was the only middle school in Wichita to serve only grades seven and eight. In order to alleviate crowding, sixth grade students in the Wilbur attendance area went to Hadley Middle School for sixth grade only, returning to Wilbur for grades seven and eight. Today sixth, seventh and eighth graders attend Wilbur.

SEE HISTORY OF ALL WICHITA PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS HERE