| | Mars Hill, NC | Salem, NY | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $12,563 | $25,847 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $11,375 | $21,597 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $7,009 | $13,918 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 12.06 | 10.69 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 304 | 499 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 267 | 217 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 2.4% | 1.1% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 1.7% | 4.5% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 95.9% | 94.4% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 13.7% | 19.9% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 10.0% | 10.4% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 42.3% | 31.8% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 8.5% | 11.9% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 3.2% | 3.5% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 2.0% | 0.2% | 1.5% |