Looking for best public/private elementary schools in Mobile, AL (new house, neighborhood)

[powbeibei]

Hi,

My husband just found a job in Mobile, AL. We will be moving to Mobile soon. I have a 5-year-old son. Can anyone tell me which is the best public elementary school, and also private one in Mobile, Alabama? We will also be looking for a house. Which neighborhood will be the best to raise little kid? Thanks in advance. Any feedback is appreciated, since we are getting a little desperate. We are from Portland, OR. We are not familiar with anything there at all.

[nuhall]

Well Mobile is not as bike friendly or walk friendly as Portland but if you want to best of those options in the area then I'd live in midtown. I live in Oakleigh which is family friendly (I've got a 4 and 2 yr old). We have a casual bike group that rides to the farmers market, downtown events, etc and there are a couple restaurants and a coffee shop you can walk to in the neighborhood. The neighborhood association puts on various events throughout the year so it is very neighborly. The homes are historic which means lots of charm but also more maintenance. We send our kids to the private school UMS Wright where my wife teaches. Message me if you need more info. My wife and I have several friends in Portland and we'd like to move there!

[powbeibei]

Nuhall,
Thank you for the response. Will look into Oakleigh and UMS Wright. What are other best private and also public elementary schools? It will be nice to get more options. We love Portland very much, since it's a great city with lots of offerings/diversities, and yet it's not too large to get from one place to another. There's only just one little drawback. That would be the rain. If you don't mind the rain. Then it's great! Lots of events going around the town that are kids friendly (especially during summer). We love it here, but unfortunately, job doesn't allow us to stay here further. It will be great that we can exchange info. I will be more than happy to answer your questions regarding here in Portland. We also would like to look for houses that are newer built. Do you know which area that offers newer houses plus good school district? What about the property tax in Mobile? Does it vary from district to district? Thanks in advance, and please feel free to ask me question(s)!

[nuhall]

If you want a new house you'll need to move to the subburbs of west Mobile or to Baldwin County across the Bay. I'm not familiar with all the schools since we didn't have to do much reasearch because my wife teaches at one so that's where our kids go. St. Paul's is probably the most comparable competitor to UMS Wright. For public schools many people move to the subburbs. I would definitely come down and look around first though. The subburbs are staring to see increased poverty and decay because of the economy so you can't take for granted that all the subburbs are going to be nice.