Moving to Birmingham - Best School District with Children - Schools

[wsajma]

We are moving to Birmingham from Florida and have small children - the school districts where we live are not that great and private school has always been a leading option for us. What is the best school district for public schools or is private schools a better option?

[Bravo35223]

The best public school district in the Birmingham metro area is located in the suburban town of Mountain Brook - which is where I live. Our schools will prepare your children for acceptance to some of the finest universities in the country....it is a private school education that you get simply for paying your property taxes.

The entry price for a home in Mt. Brook is going to be around $375K with the average home in the city running around $550K....

If you cannot afford this, there are several other communities you can consider that have very good school systems also.

Please let me know how much house you can afford.

[wsajma]

we are looking to spend in the $500 range so this may be a fit. thanks so much for your suggestions - any other ideas are certainly welcome!

[Back Again]

Here are some good links to check out when looking into schools
ALSDE - Education Directory/Reports
SchoolMatters - Home
GreatSchools.net

I hope this helps

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by wsajma

we are looking to spend in the $500 range so this may be a fit. thanks so much for your suggestions - any other ideas are certainly welcome!

$500 will get you a very nice house in Mountain Brook. We moved here and have really enjoyed the lifestyle AND the schools. Good luck in your move.

[Bravo35223]

Yes $500K would do you just fine in Mountain Brook, especially in this slow market. Tell me a little more about your family so I can make more suggestions.

You may be a new neighbor!! It is very rare that I have the chance to recommend Mountain Brook here....

[wsajma]

thanks so much for your recommendation - we have twins that are 4 - they will not start to elementary school for another year as they have late year birthdays and do not make the cut off - we will be looking for a preschool as well - they are very active in dance, soccer and music - we enjoy boating and swimming and look forward to this new adventure. crazy question for you - is it uncommon to have swimming pools in your backyard - i think it can be hilly and it gets rather cold so just curious if swimming pools are uncommon - in doing housing searches, i didn't come up with many fitting that criteria - not a must for us but our kids love to swim (as do most Floridians) - it is a HUGE summer pastime for us! thanks again for all your help - you have already put my mind at ease!

[Bravo35223]

Originally Posted by wsajma

thanks so much for your recommendation - we have twins that are 4 - they will not start to elementary school for another year as they have late year birthdays and do not make the cut off - we will be looking for a preschool as well - they are very active in dance, soccer and music - we enjoy boating and swimming and look forward to this new adventure. crazy question for you - is it uncommon to have swimming pools in your backyard - i think it can be hilly and it gets rather cold so just curious if swimming pools are uncommon - in doing housing searches, i didn't come up with many fitting that criteria - not a must for us but our kids love to swim (as do most Floridians) - it is a HUGE summer pastime for us! thanks again for all your help - you have already put my mind at ease!

Well indeed Birmingham is quite hilly. Almost any area you settle in, will be that way.

But the pool business here is alive and well.

Remember Courney Cox on Friends? She grew up in Mountain Brook and her dad was a swimming pool contractor: Cox Pools....

To build a pool here the only difference is site preparation. The site must be leveled before the pool is put in....and this is the same for all construction: homes, buildings etc...

[wsajma]

thank you so much - you have been most helpful!

[Bravo35223]

Originally Posted by wsajma

thank you so much - you have been most helpful!

To give you an idea of the hills....check out the sticky photos of Birmingham from our site here....

Pictures of Birmingham and surrounding area