2025 Compare Cities Education:
Aiken, SC vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 11.5% more per student than Aiken.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 4.1% higher in Columbia than in Aiken. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 1.2% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Aiken
 Aiken, SCColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$10,396  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio14.76  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor326  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.6.5%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.17.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.41.3%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree2.3%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Aiken    34 Reviews

I'm going on 3 years living in Aiken. Moving here not having any family or friends was difficult. I'm thankful for the people I have met who now feel like lifelong  More

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Aiken is a magical place. It is beautiful and historic, has all the amenities, and Hitchcock Woods is a treasure! I feel blessed to have lived in Aiken for 3 years. As a  More

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Aiken is a unique town to visit or live in. I've lived in Toronto, ON Canada, Lynchburg, VA and in Aiken. I am 24 years old and moved here from VA just over two years  More

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Reviews for Columbia    50 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

I love living in Columbia! I recently graduated from USC and plan to stay. I read the reviews posted here and it shows that like many cities, your experience will depend  More

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Loved living in Columbia, SC prior to my job transfer. It's the perfect size - plenty to do, but still a laid back place. People are extremely friendly, there are  More

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Columbia is such a unique and underrated place. It has a lot of character and history, and good nature trails. Everything feels accessible (by car) and you can get from  More

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