| | Bessemer, AL | Oakland, CA | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $13,194 | $17,788 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $11,144 | $13,323 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $6,493 | $8,104 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 19.32 | 21.61 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 547 | 9555 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 417 | 603 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 4.4% | 8.8% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 11.2% | 6.5% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 84.3% | 84.7% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 23.1% | 15.9% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 7.7% | 5.7% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 13.6% | 47.3% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 3.2% | 13.9% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 0.4% | 3.8% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.2% | 2.6% | 1.5% |