Quality of Life

Expansion Management Magazine has been measuring education quality through its Education Quotient Report for 16 years. Using a number of indicators, EMM groups public school systems into five categories starting with Gold (highest) followed by Blue. The publication use indicators related to Graduate Outcome (graduation rates and college board test scores), Resource Index (financials and student-teacher ratios), and Community Index (economic and educational data of the local population). In 2006, four Hamilton County school districts were considered Gold (Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern, Noblesville and Westfield-Washington). A “Gold” school ranks in the top 17 percent of all school districts in the U.S.

• Noblesville, IN ranked in the Top 10 communities for Best Places to Raise a Family: The Top100 Affordable Communities in the U.S. published in 2006. The publication based its rankings on standard of living, education, health and safety, lifestyle and population profile.
• Fishers, IN ranked among the Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2006 (33) and 2005 (25) by Money Magazine. Money also noted that Fishers ranked among the top 20 communities nationally for job growth. The magazine based its rankings on quality of life indicators and six opportunity measures including ease of living, health, education, crime, park space, and arts and leisure.