| | Columbia, IL | Alton, IL | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $13,996 | $13,939 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $12,031 | $12,569 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $7,241 | $7,302 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 15.22 | 15.21 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 1187 | 5837 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 429 | 1054 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 0.4% | 2.9% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 2.5% | 8.4% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 97.0% | 88.7% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 20.9% | 28.8% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 8.9% | 10.3% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 50.1% | 19.4% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 16.5% | 5.2% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 3.9% | 0.9% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 2.6% | 0.8% | 1.5% |