The Livonia Public School system has been ranked among the top fifteen- percent nationally, according to a new study commissioned by the Livonia Economic Development Partnership (LEDP).

The study, compiled by Expansion Management Magazine, lists Livonia as a Gold Medal district. “A Gold Medal district ranks in the top fifteen percent of all those studied and represents one of the most outstanding school districts included in our 1999 Education Quotient study,” said Les Gramkow, Research Editor for Expansion Management.

“The rankings use three indices – Graduate Outcome, Resource Index and Community Index to arrive at an overall Education Quotient total. The Graduate Outcome Index includes data on district ACT or SAT scores and test participation, as well as high school graduation rate. The Resource Index is based upon teacher salaries, student/teacher ratios, and per pupil expenditures on instruction. The Community Index includes data on average income and poverty levels, as well as the adult education levels for the community in which the school district is located. Livonia’s overall Education Quotient was 132 points out of a total possible of 150,” Gramkow said.

“We commissioned the study because we believe business location decisions are now driven by the quality and availability of workers and those communities producing the best and brightest workers will be the big winners,” said Rod Crider, president of the LEDP. “Businesses identify those communities by simply looking at the quality of the local school system, Crider continued.

“Expansion Management is a leading national publication used by individual businesses and consultants who are considering expansion or relocation of their operations,” Crider said. “Our purpose for commissioning the study was to be able to include Livonia among the many districts evaluated by Expansion Management each year.” Annually, Expansion Management evaluates nearly 1300 school districts representing every U.S. city with a population of 25,000 or more.

“The single most pressing issue for growing businesses today are labor issues. The Education Quotient is increasingly used as a tool by which growing businesses evaluate the type of workforce they are likely to encounter in various communities throughout the country,” Crider continued. “We know Livonia ranks among the best and felt the study would put a quantitative measurement to our opinion. While there are varying debates about the usefulness of school evaluations, we particularly liked this one because it focuses on results – the same aspects that employers look at.”

Crider said communities that do not invest in educating their future work force will find themselves at a serious disadvantage when it comes to competing with other locations for jobs and new investment. “Livonia is fortunate to have a tradition of education excellence that serves to not only train our students for the best jobs for the best companies but to provide job opportunities and outstanding city services for residents as well,” Crider concluded.