We moved from a rural area to a city because the school at the small town USA is very bad. When we were selecting our new home, we were facing the same issue - brand new 5 BD 3 1/2 bath huge house close to work but in a so so school district or 50 year old 1900 sq ft house 30 miles away from my work in a top 50 school district.
We did pick the good school district, paying extremely high tax. At the end, both kids did not get into Ivy schools.
Two kids we know back in the rural area - one got into H and one into P.
Besides, what is good for attending a top school any way? Enjoy the life is much more important.