2025 Compare Cities Education:
Ames, IA vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 1.0% more per student than Ames.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 4.5% higher in Columbia than in Ames. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 6.8% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Ames
 Ames, IAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,178  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio14.7  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor346  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.15.9%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.61.4%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree2.4%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Ames    12 Reviews

Over 13 years ago

Hello, I am in San Jose Ca, but am seriously thinking of moving somewhere much slower for a better quality of living. I've just turned 59, so I'm kinda preparing for  More

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Over 13 years ago

Like every other city Ames has both good and bad points. The good points are: low cost of living, very friendly people, lots of outdoor activities and quite a few events  More

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Ames enjoys a high quality of life at a very affordable cost, substantially lower than many other communities. The presence of Iowa State University, a large (28,000  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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