| | Columbia, MD | Cary, NC | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $17,912 | $11,618 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $16,615 | $9,531 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $11,381 | $6,316 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 13.46 | 15.11 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 363 | 829 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 331 | 300 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 2.8% | 1.4% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 2.0% | 2.0% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 95.2% | 96.6% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 14.0% | 12.2% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 5.7% | 6.5% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 62.8% | 69.5% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 23.4% | 23.3% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 4.8% | 3.6% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 5.7% | 4.9% | 1.5% |