Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) was named a "gold medal" school system for the sixth consecutive year by Expansion Management magazine as a measure of the attractiveness of the school system to the business community. Gold Medal school systems rank in the top 16 percent of districts evaluated by the magazine.

MCPS was recognized for offering companies considering expansion or relocation among the best educational services nationally, including well-prepared high school graduates and excellent schools for employees to enroll their children.

MCPS and Frederick County Public Schools were the only school systems in Maryland to earn the gold medal designation this year. The MCPS score of 142 out of a possible 150 points is the highest in the state. In the Washington metro area, school systems in Fairfax and Manassas counties also were among the gold medalists.

The gold medal districts nationally constitute the high scorers on a three-part "education quotient" that includes the Graduate Outcome Index (graduates' scores on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and graduation rates); the Resource Index (including per pupil expenditure, student-teacher ratios, and teacher salaries); and the Community Index (socio-economic factors such as level of education and family income).

The annual Expansion Management review gathered data from approximately 2,234 school districts around the nation, representing communities with populations of at least 15,000.