Livonia Public Schools
Encyclopedia
Livonia Public Schools is a public school district in southeastern Michigan Metro Detroit area, serving most of the city of Livonia
and the northernmost portions of Westland
. It is one of the top 5 ranked school districts in Michigan
, as it has been since the 1960s. As of the 2006-2007 school year, the district has revised their curriculum to a four-tier system: K-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12 Grade Levels. Prior to 2006, the curriculum was K-6, 7-8 and 9-12 grade levels. During the 1979-1980 school year, 9th graders were moved over to the high schools. Prior to then, junior high schools consisted of grades 7-9 and senior high schools consisted of grades 10-12. The school system also offers classes at the high school level at the Livonia Career Technological Center. Students can take classes that can gain valuable experience in their career choice before graduating high school.
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS (later to become MIDDLE SCHOOLS):
HIGH SCHOOLS:
Bentley High School
(1947-1985)
OTHER FACILITIES:
Livonia, Michigan
Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest...
and the northernmost portions of Westland
Westland, Michigan
Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located about west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094.-Politics:...
. It is one of the top 5 ranked school districts in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, as it has been since the 1960s. As of the 2006-2007 school year, the district has revised their curriculum to a four-tier system: K-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12 Grade Levels. Prior to 2006, the curriculum was K-6, 7-8 and 9-12 grade levels. During the 1979-1980 school year, 9th graders were moved over to the high schools. Prior to then, junior high schools consisted of grades 7-9 and senior high schools consisted of grades 10-12. The school system also offers classes at the high school level at the Livonia Career Technological Center. Students can take classes that can gain valuable experience in their career choice before graduating high school.
Lower Elementary Schools (Grades K-4)
- Buchanan Elementary School (Livonia)
- Cass Elementary School (Livonia, 1967)
- Cleveland Elementary School (Livonia)
- Coolidge Elementary School (Livonia)
- Garfield Elementary School (Livonia)
- Grant Elementary School (Livonia)
- Hayes Elementary School (Westland)
- Hoover Elementary School (Livonia)
- Kennedy Elementary School (Livonia)
- Randolph Elementary School (Livonia)
- Roosevelt Elementary School (Livonia)
- Rosedale Elementary School (Livonia)
Upper Elementary Schools (Grades 5-6)
- Cooper Upper Elementary School (Westland)
- Johnson Upper Elementary School (Westland)
- Riley Upper Elementary School (Livonia)
Middle Schools (Grades 7-8)
- Emerson Middle School (Livonia, 1954) - This school was named after the American writer and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. This building is a North Central Association School. Mascot-Eagles
- Frost Middle School (Livonia, 1963) - This school was named after Robert Lee Frost, the American poet. In addition to 7th and 8th graders, this building houses the MACAT (Middle Alternative Classrooms for the Academically Talented) program. This building is also a North Central Association School. Mascot-Phantoms
- Holmes Middle SchoolHolmes Middle School (Livonia, Michigan)Holmes Middle School is a middle school in Livonia, Michigan and run by the public schools thereof. It is home to the Hawks athletic team and a sister school to Emerson Middle School and Frost Middle School.-History:...
(Livonia, Dedicated 1966, opened 1967) - This school is named after Oliver Wendell Holmes, a famous physician, poet, & writer. This is also a North Central Association school. Mascot-Hawks
High Schools (Grades 9-12)
- Benjamin Franklin High SchoolFranklin High School (Livonia, Michigan)Benjamin Franklin High School, also referred to as Franklin High School, Livonia Franklin and FHS, is a public high school located in Livonia, Michigan, a suburb west of Detroit.-History:...
(opened in 1962)
- Adlai E. Stevenson High SchoolAdlai E. Stevenson High School (Livonia, Michigan)Adlai E. Stevenson High School is a public high school in Livonia, Michigan, a suburb west of Detroit.-History:Adlai E. Stevenson High School was built in 1965 to accommodate the rising population in Livonia due to the increased migration of people from the nearby city of Detroit to the suburbs...
(opened in 1966)
- Winston Churchill High SchoolWinston Churchill High School (Wayne County, Michigan)Churchill High School, named after Winston Churchill, is one of the three main public high schools in the city of Livonia, Michigan, a western suburb of Detroit. The school was created in 1968 as an add-on to the other high schools in Livonia in response to the population boom that the city saw...
(opened in 1969)
Other Schools
- Jackson Early Childhood Center (Livonia, 1956)
- Livonia Career Technical Center (Livonia, 1969)
- Perrinville Center (Livonia, 1936)
- Western Wayne Skills Center (Westland)
Defunct Schools
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:- John Adams (Livonia) - One of seven schools closed under the 2006 "Legacy Initiative", Adams is now the Perrinville Center.
- Henry Clay (Livonia) - Closed in 1982 due to declining enrollment; now used by the district for community education classes and also occupied by Livonia Little Tots.
- Cooper #3 (Westland) - Closed in 1966 when Cooper School (#4) was completed. After staying abandoned for over two decades, the school was razed in the 1990s and was replaced by a shopping center.
- Cooper #4 (Westland) - Closed in 1991 due to discovered contamination; used for LPS storage until it was discontinued due to arson attempts and vandalism. The school was razed in 2005 and is currently fenced-off, but proposed for recreational development.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (Livonia) - Closed in 1978; current home of the Livonia Career Technical Center.
- William H. Harrison (Livonia) - Closed in 1978 and eventually razed for a senior housing complex.
- Hull (Livonia) - One of seven schools closed under the 2006 "Legacy Initative"; last used for district storage until it was razed in August 2010 with the property now owned/maintained as green space.
- Jackson (Livonia) - Converted to the Jackson Center.
- Thomas Jefferson (Livonia) - Razed in the mid 2000's because the property was too small to be considered of value.
- Johnson #1 (Livonia) - Closed due to declining enrollment in the 1990s; current home of Rosedale Elementary School.
- Abraham Lincoln (Livonia) - This school has been razed and houses now occupy the site.
- James Madison (Livonia) - Closed in 1980 and eventually razed for housing development.
- Marshall (Livonia) - Closed in 2003 due to declining enrollment; now a day care center.
- William McKinley (Livonia) - One of seven schools closed under the 2006 "Legacy Initative"; now part of Franklin High School and used by the district for community education classes.
- Monroe (Westland) - Closed in 1980 and eventually razed for park space.
- Nankin Mills (Westland) - One of seven schools closed under the 2006 "Legacy Initative"; now leased to Redford Union Schools as a special education center.
- Perrinville (Westland) - Closed in 1982; original location of the Perrinville Center until relocating to Adams in 2008. This school was razed in February 2011 except for the historic schoolhouse; the rest of the property is now green space.
- Pierson (Livonia) - Closed in 1970; now used for city and private offices.
- Rosedale #1 (Livonia) - Closed in 1979 due to declining enrollment; briefly reopened during the 1990s until it was razed in 2000 and absorbed into the park next to it.
- Stark #1 (Livonia, 1938) - Closed in 1973 due to declining enrollment; used as the Western Wayne Skills Center for several years until being razed in 1999 for housing development.
- William Taft (Livonia) - Closed in 1976 and has since been leased out.
- Zachary Taylor (Livonia) - Closed in 2006 as part of a district consolidation plan due to declining enrollment and budget constraints. The school briefly housed the Webster School after a fire occurred at their school in February 2008. Taylor remains vacant to date.
- Tyler (Livonia) - Closed in 2006 as part of a district consolidation plan due to declining enrollment and budget constraints. The school stayed mostly vacant until 2008 when it became the new home of the Webster after an arson fire at their school.
- Washington (Livonia) - Closed in 2006 as part of a district consolidation plan due to declining enrollment and budget constraints. The building was leased to the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools briefly to house students while renovating one of its schools. Last housing the Stautzenberger Health & Fitness Institute, this school is now vacant.
- Webster #1 (Livonia) - Severely damaged in an arson fire in February 2008 during the district's mid-winter break. Because of high financial costs to repair the school, the district reopened and renovated the former Tyler Elementary building and moved students to that school. The old Webster School has since been razed, with the property to be owned/maintained as green space.
- Woodrow Wilson (Livonia) - Closed in 1979; last housed food service and district storage. The school was razed in the Winter of 2010, with the property now owned/maintained as green space.
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS (later to become MIDDLE SCHOOLS):
- Bryant (Livonia) - Closed in 1979. Last used as Bryant Center (several programs), the school was razed in the early 2000s. The land is now used for park space and sporting events.
- Emily Dickinson (Livonia) - Closed in 1980; last used as the Dickinson Center until 2010.
- Henry Ford (Westland) - Closed in 1980; present location of the Western Wayne Skills Center.
- Lowell (Westland) - Closed in 1981 due to declining enrollment. The building was leased to Plymouth-Canton Community Schools district for several years. It has since been converted to Johnson Upper Elementary School in 2006.
- Riley (Livonia) - Riley survived the phase out of the Junior High system as a Middle School. It was converted to Riley Upper Elementary School in 2006.
- Walt Whitman (Livonia) - Opened in 1956 and closed in 1978. The building was used for adult education for several years after closing. The school was razed in the 1990s and the property absorbed into the park surrounding it.
- Whittier (Westland) - Closed in 1979, but reopened as Cooper #5 in 1991 and eventually converted to Cooper Upper Elementary School in 2006.
HIGH SCHOOLS:
Bentley High School
Bentley High School (Livonia, Michigan)
George N. Bentley Senior High School, also referred to as Bentley High School, was a public high school in the city of Livonia, Michigan, a western suburb of Detroit. The first public high school in the Livonia Public Schools district, it was open from September 1947 through June 1985. The...
(1947-1985)
OTHER FACILITIES:
- Bryant Center - Formerly home to several programs in the district, all were relocated to the Dickinson Center in 2002.
- Dickinson Center - Formerly home to adult education programs in the district, the school closed in late August-early September 2010 due to budget constraints.
Historical Schools
- Briggs School (District No. 3) - Constructed in 1859 at Six Mile and Newburg (Newburgh) Roads. Even though districts were consolidated in 1944, the school was still used until 1945. In 1964, Briggs was razed to make way for the Newburgh Shopping Plaza.
- Cooper School #1 (Nankin/Fractional District No. 1) - Constructed in 1837 at present-day Ann Arbor Trail & Middlebelt Road; became Fractional District No. 1 for Livonia & Nankin Townships in 1849.
- Cooper School #2 - Constructed in 1865 by the district as a one-room schoolhouse; replaced by Cooper School #3 in 1938.
- Elm School #'s 1 & 2 (District No. 6) - Constructed in 1869 on Middlebelt Road, south of the present-day CSX Transportation line, with an addition during the 1920s. During the 1930s, a second Elm School was constructed, with an addition a few years later. Both schools were razed in the early 1970s for the construction of a General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
Powertrain plant.
- Livonia Center (Tamarack) School (District No. 4) - Constructed in 1872 on Farmington Road, just south of Five Mile Road. The original school was razed in 1927 for a replacement four-room school on the site. The building is now part of the district Board of Education office.
- Newburg School #1 (Fractional School District No. 8) - Constructed in 1861 at present-day Newburgh & Ann Arbor Roads. The one-room schoolhouse was used until 1922, when it was replaced with Newburg School #2 In 1987, the schoolhouse was moved to Greenmead Historical Park, where it still stands today.
- Newburg School #2 - Constructed in 1922 to replace Newburg School #1; razed in 1974.
- Pearson School (School District No. 2)
- Stark School (School District No. 7)
- Wilcox (Gaffney) School (School District No. 5)