Athletics

 The Wichita Public Schools offer a comprehensive interscholastic athletic program with over 6500 high school and middle school students participating annually.  Students have the opportunity to participate in 21 championship sports at the 7 district comprehensive high schools and 7 championship sports at each of the 18 district middle schools.   While student-athletes enjoy representing their school in competitions across the city and state, an emphasis is placed on developing not just sport-specific skills, but also teaching life lessons such as teamwork, sportsmanship, goal setting, overcoming adversity, and accountability.  In addition, the district athletic program supports student achievement.  As representatives of their respective school teams, student-athletes are held accountable for their performance in the classroom, in the school hallways, and in the community.  A study by the National Federation of High Schools supports this claim by reporting that students who participate in activity programs tend to have higher grade point averages and better attendance records than students generally.  In addition to these benefits, many student-athletes earn scholarships and have had successful collegiate and/or professional careers.  Some notable district student-athlete alums include Lynette Woodard, Barry Sanders, Jim Ryun,  Mike Pelfrey, and Kamerion Wimbley.