Community support for quality education is strong in Erie County, where several new schools have recently been built or renovated. Erie's East High and Millcreek's Belle Valley Elementary and Walnut Creek Middle School have won various awards.
The following is a summary of data regarding Erie public schools as of the 2001–2002 school year.
Total enrollment: 12,886
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 14
junior high/middle schools: 3
senior high schools: 3
other: 1
Student/teacher ratio: 15.5:1
Teacher salaries
minimum: $28,500
maximum: $66,000
Funding per pupil: $7,042 (2001–2002)
The Catholic diocese of Erie oversees 22 elementary and secondary schools in the area.
Public Schools Information: The School District of the City of Erie, PA, 148 W. 21st Street, Erie, PA 16501; telephone (814)874-6000
Erie has four colleges and a medical school: Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (approximately 7,500 students), Gannon University (more than 3,300 students), Mercyhurst College (about 3,000 students), Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (more than 600 students), and Penn State Erie (The Behrend College, with nearly 4,000 students). Career and technical training are offered at the Northwestern Pennsylvania Technical Institute and the Erie Business Center.
The Erie County Library is headquartered in Erie; the main facility is the Raymond M. Blasco, M.D., Memorial Library. The library's four branches house well over a half-million volumes, and bookmobile service is available to rural areas. General Electric Company, Hammermill Paper Company, and Lord Corporation maintain technical libraries in the city. Erie's two largest health care organizations maintain medical libraries, and Mercyhurst College's collection includes the records of Erie County industries.
Erie is also home to the Erie County Historical Society Library/Archives, with its extensive holdings; the Erie County Law Library; and the Northwest Institute of Research Library. Research centers in the area include Mercyhurst College Cancer Research Unit, Gannon University's Center for Economic Education and Engineering Research Institute; Hamot Medical Center's research unit; and the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute.
Public Library Information: Erie County Public Library System, 160 E. Front Street, Erie, PA 16507; telephone (814)451-6900; fax (814) 451-6907; email reference@erielibrary.org