How We Rate (1)

Get full coverage of "Rating the Suburbs" in the June 2002 issue of Cleveland Magazine. Or view the community services by clicking here. Can Cleveland's racial and ethnic diversity jump-start our community? Read Diverse Interests to find out.

Overall rankings were determined using raw data that were converted into points calculated from the average in each category. Rankings for safety and education were awarded based on a curve derived from the total scores in each category.

Safety

Sources: Statistics for calendar year 2001 were provided by each suburb (with the exception of Cuyahoga Falls and East Cleveland, which declined to participate).

Education

Sources: Individual school districts (with the exception of Brooklyn and Wickliffe, which declined to participate) and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) 2002 School Report Card district data files.

On its school report cards, the ODE bases 25 of the 27 standards on proficiency tests administered in five grades: fourth, sixth, ninth, 10th and 12th. There are five proficiency tests in each grade: reading, writing, citizenship, science and mathematics. The ODE indicates a testing standard has been met if the percentage of students passing each subject meets the state's performance standard (which varies at each testing level), resulting in a Yes or No valuation on that district's report card.

We have chosen to give points based on the actual percentages of students who pass each subject of each year's test. Therefore, a total of 500 points is possible in each grade (100 points for each subject). This point system allows us to offer greater differentiation between communities, giving credit for the full percentage of students passing the test.

For more detailed reports on school district proficiency performance, visit www.ode.state.oh.us.

Median home-sale value

Source: Cleveland State University's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs

Property tax

Sources: 2001 rates of taxation are from county auditors' offices.

Population

Sources: 2000 U.S. Census, Office of Strategic Research and the Northern Ohio Data and Information Service (NODIS) at Cleveland State University, designated by the State of Ohio and the U.S. Bureau of the Census as the Regional Data Center for northern Ohio.

Environmental infractions

Source: The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's database of reported polluted sites, which is continuously updated and includes reports of polluted sites that the EPA has not fully investigated

ISO Fire Suppression Ratings

Source: State of Ohio Department of Insurance, Four Star Insurance Agency, Insurance Services Offices Inc. Fire Ratings.

Insurance Services Office Inc. provides fire ratings for each community based on three factors: fire department facilities, water (i.e. hydrant availability) and communications/dispatching. ISO fire ratings are used by property insurance companies to set premiums.

Ratings are given on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being a perfect fire-safety rating. A split score indicates that certain areas within a community have substantially different services, such as varying hydrant availability or proximity to a fire station. For example, a split score of 4/9 indicates that part of the community gets class 4 service, while the rest is at a class 9.

Community services

Individual suburbs were contacted to determine which of the following services are available to all residents: tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball/softball diamonds, indoor or outdoor ice rink, indoor swimming pool, outdoor swimming pool, recreation center, senior services and recycling programs.

For a full chart for each suburb, click here.

Poverty and Diversity

Sources: 2000 U.S. Census, Cleveland State University

Diversity points are awarded based on the suburbs' percentage of minority residents (as defined by the Census), with the most points given to those suburbs closest to a 50 percent balance.