| | Lamar, MO | Des Moines, IA | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $12,361 | $14,293 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $10,075 | $11,894 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $5,722 | $7,373 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 11.36 | 15.53 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 397 | 799 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 272 | 362 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 2.1% | 6.5% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 9.6% | 6.4% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 88.3% | 87.1% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 16.0% | 20.2% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 15.3% | 9.2% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 18.1% | 28.1% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 3.9% | 6.2% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 0.7% | 1.8% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.1% | 0.8% | 1.5% |