Lawrence was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the daughter of Karen (Koch) Lawrence, a children's camp manager, and Gary Lawrence, a construction worker. She has two older brothers, Ben and Blaine By the age of 14, she had decided to pursue an acting career, persuading her parents to take her to New York City to find a talent agent. Prior to finding success in Hollywood, Lawrence attended Kammerer Middle School in Louisville. She graduated from high school two years early with a 3.9 average, aiming at a career in acting. While growing up and in between acting, Lawrence served as an assistant nurse at the children's summer day camp that her mother ran.