I'm partial to areas SW, S, and SE of town. Suburbs of Parker, Lone, Tree, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Centennial would be good places to start with good school reputations.
House prices have been on an insane tear. We saw a small plateau in prices a year or so ago, but they just keep going higher. Our home in Highlands Ranch has appreciated by almost 1/3 in just the last couple of years. In the upper end of your price range you should be able to find something, though it won't buy you nearly the house that it would in Texas.
This is a great place to live with lots of activities for the whole family all year round. While most people think of Denver as being in the mountains, we are really in the arid high plain type environment. 300 days of sunshine a year. If it snows in the winter, it's not uncommon to be able to play golf or get outdoors with no snow that same afternoon. We'll get a handful of snows a year where it stays around for a couple of days or so, but those are the exceptions.
We moved here in 2014 and could not be happier. Good luck!