2025 Compare Cities Education:
Ames, IA vs Prior Lake, MN

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Highlights
- Prior Lake spends 0.5% less per student than Ames.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 23.9% higher in Prior Lake than in Ames. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Prior Lake had 0.4% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Ames
 Ames, IAPrior Lake, MNUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$16,898$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,178  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,322$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio14.7  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock8334573
 Students per Counselor346  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock0.6%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock97.4%88.9%
 Some College Educ.15.9%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock13.3%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.61.4%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock10.2%9.3%
 Professional Degree2.4%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.2%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 Prior Lake    3 Reviews

Over 13 years ago

Prior Lake is an amazing place to raise a family and to live. The city puts a lot of money into community events that are almost always free or of low cost. From the  More

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Over 15 years ago

A beautiful, quiet, friendly community built around a lovely good sized lake. Prior Lake is only a short drive away from many fun and exciting cultural, sporting,  More

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We actually live in Credit River Township, but our mailing address is Prior Lake. Our real estate taxes help pay for the schools in Prior Lake, but, in Credit River  More

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