| | La Mesa, CA | Santa Maria, CA | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $16,358 | $16,705 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $13,161 | $13,158 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $8,084 | $7,862 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 22.65 | 21.01 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 18744 | 12387 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 513 | 539 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 3.1% | 27.8% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 3.5% | 10.0% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 93.5% | 62.2% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 27.5% | 20.4% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 11.3% | 7.2% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 37.8% | 13.6% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 9.7% | 2.8% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 2.0% | 0.8% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 1.6% | 0.3% | 1.5% |