Carmel Schools or Fishers Schools? (Westfield, Zionsville: transfer, school rankings, college)

[at home america girl]

My husband and I are thinking about relocating to the Indy area. The school system is our #1 priority. I know Zionsville has the best, but what is the difference between Carmel and Fishers? I have read on here many times that Carmel has bigger schools, but looking at the school rankings, it seems both towns have about the same number of students in the schools. I know Carmel has more schools, so what am I missing? Please help me understand why we should live in one town or the other.

Thanks!

[Trinity Florida]

I am from Carmel and the schools are VERY good you cant find better schools than carmel schools anywhere in the nation. trust me i have lived all over , recently had to move from indy and miss carmel schools ...........

[sweetana3]

I would think that when choosing between two good school systems you would need to think about what details are important to you.

For example, is the housing within your price range within the school area where you want your kids to go if you pick one school, are there programs for activities available (in and outside of school special ed, sports, music, dance, etc.). What is the commute time to activities and other family needs. Does the school district appear stable ior are there chances for significant reorganization and movement of students to different schools due to expansion. Depending on the age of your child(ren) different things could be important.

Rememeber statistics are general and now you should be drilling down and even visiting schools to see the "real" vs the "statistics" since you already have two good school systems to choose from. You will need to check the number of students in the buildings your child might go to. Statistics are general.

Remember in a big district, individual schools can have different atmospheres.

[SJU]

I went to Carmel High, and have lived in Fishers for the past 5 years. The communities are very similar, but Carmel has an older more established "feel" to it....well, because it is! Fishers is a very young town that has seen extremely rapid growth in the past 10 years. They have learned from Carmel's mistakes in regards to the school system--specifically adding a second high school. Carmel had this option years ago and chose to add on to the existing school instead (largely for sports reasons). The result is a gargantuan school.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a top notch school (the elementaries and Jr high's can't be beat anywhere), but the HS is just so big. Teacher-student ratio is still quite acceptable, though. They've done a fairly good job keeping up with the size. If I had my choice, I'd move back to Carmel. I probably will in a few years.

Fishers schools are also excellent, but I've noticed in both my HS age step-sons (they go to FHS) that there is a lot of Carmel "envy." They see Carmel as the rich snobs, but like I said, the communities are so similar. It's as though they are making fun of themselves, which I find funny.

You really can't go wrong if you choose either. I'd take a look at the towns themselves, research what Mayor Brainard has been doing with Carmel to see if it fits your tastes. I like it, but many people I know don't.

[domergurl]

SJU is right, it will boil down to what town you like better. For us, we chose the Fishers schools because, statistically, they are similar, but we didn't want our kids to possibly end up in a 5K student high school like Carmel. They are actually going to build a third high school in Fishers too. But it's all a wash now since we left Fishers anyway!

[nebulous1]

You'd be surprised...Carmel HS is huge, but they do a great job of running it. I came from a school district in Ohio that split into 2 high schools and then it became a rivalry between the two schools as to which one was the better one. So...they have done it right to keep it all as one school. You go to THE high school.
It is a big school, but if you can go there, you can go to any college and make it. I haven't heard kids complain about the large size either.
My daughter went there for her last year of school, and said she wished she had gone there all 4 years. She said she felt safe there!

[sweetana3]

I think the daughter's comment that she felt safe is incredibly important.

[esantaro]

Carmel has Nationally ranked school system. I am a junior at IU and the I would not have been prepared if I did not recieve the education I got at Carmel. If your kids are athletes Carmel has the 10th best athletic program in the country, and fishers does not. Carmel's community is better than Fisher's too. Zionsville is not as good as Carmel or Fishers, most people I know who went to zionsville highschool dropped out of college by now I only know 3 though.

[jrod2828]

I went to Carmel High School... WAY WAY too big. Your kid will be just a number. They refuse to break up the high school b/c of sports. Take a look at Westfield. I transferred there my sophomore year and graduated from Westfield. It's a growing community and a great school system and your kid will feel less like a number.

Westfield is much better than Fishers or Carmel. Good luck.

[CoolBeans]

Fishers is crazy with the traffic.