[RangerInvictus]

I just started a new job in Phenix City. My wife and kids will be joining me as soon as our house in Ft. Worth sells.

Our question is this:
We like both the Auburn and Smiths area, and I know Auburn ISD is supposed to be exemplary, but how much better is it? Is Smiths really good as well, just not AS good?

It seems that finding a home reasonably priced in the Auburn ISD is a bit more challenging than finding something similar in Smiths schools district.

I have to say I have been surprised at the price of homes here. I really thought they would be less expensive than where we lived in Ft. Worth.
A home that goes for $200k here is going for $160-175 in DFW.

Anyway, we're very excited about moving to this area, but the schools are a big factor.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[Lissoy]

Originally Posted by RangerInvictus

I just started a new job in Phenix City. My wife and kids will be joining me as soon as our house in Ft. Worth sells.

Our question is this:
We like both the Auburn and Smiths area, and I know Auburn ISD is supposed to be exemplary, but how much better is it? Is Smiths really good as well, just not AS good?

It seems that finding a home reasonably priced in the Auburn ISD is a bit more challenging than finding something similar in Smiths schools district.

I have to say I have been surprised at the price of homes here. I really thought they would be less expensive than where we lived in Ft. Worth.
A home that goes for $200k here is going for $160-175 in DFW.

Anyway, we're very excited about moving to this area, but the schools are a big factor.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Smiths is a good school district for Alabama--one of the better in the area--but there is a pretty substantial drop off between Auburn and Smiths. Auburn's probably one of the top two or three districts in the state, and is generally ranked in the top 1% or 2% in the US for public districts. Smiths is probably about top 35% or 40% in Alabama, and I've never seen any of the national rankings place them.

My own personal experience around kids of both districts is that Smiths does an excellent job of preparing kids for life in the Columbus area, but Auburn prepares its students to be competitive on a national level. It's largely a matter of focus, but Auburn schools generally have higher expectations for their kids, and they generally produce.

As someone who went to college in Texas, from an academic standpoint Smiths would be Texas Tech (solid school, does what they do well, better than average) and Auburn would be Rice (top-flight school, not the very best in the country but within shouting distance, very high expectations).

I don't think you'd be disappointed with Smiths schools, but I do think you'd be missing out if Auburn was an option. There is a reason decent housing at a reasonable price is hard to find in Auburn, and that reason is almost entirely the quality of the schools.

Good luck in your search!

[danmandr]

I used to live in Smiths-some call it Smiths Station-and I can tell u the area is great. Not nearly as many subdivisions to pick from as Auburn but Smiths is much closer to Phenix City than Auburn and Opelika so I would definitely look there first. Look along the Auburn Rd. corridor commonly called Lee Rd 240 it runs from Opelika-Salem to Smiths and right to Phenix City. Many nice subdivisions are located along the road in your price range. Several new establishments as well. The community is so great in that area to. Smiths schools are great. in fact they are building a completely new high school slated to open in 2011 and the middle school is going where the high school used to be I believe.