Help needed with school and where to live? Moving to Boston. (Newton: to rent, neighborhood)

[MovinMama1976]

Hello,
I have a job offer to move to Boston. My husband son and I have lived in Philadelphia burbs for years and we are excited about potentially moving. My office will be next to Boston Public gardens.

Could someone give me some guidance for what are some GREAT elementary schools? I look on the school sites and they all seem to have pretty good reputations. We plan to rent for the first 6 mos or so then buy, so somewhere family oriented would be great as well.

To further narrow it down, my family is very active. My husband and I enjoy running and my son is active in tennis and soccer.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[TAM88]

Do you want to live in the city of Boston? Or, how war distance and/or commute wise are you willing to live outside of the city?

[3piecechickendinner]

If you want GREAT schools in Boston then you need to go the private route...But if you want GREAT public schools I would suggest Newton or Brookline

[ogre]

In addition to TAM88's questions, it would help pin down the possibilities if you provided info about your housing budget, the kind of general feel or character you'd like in your town or neighborhood, and whether proximity to public transit makes a difference.