2025 Compare Cities Education:
Ames, IA vs Santa Cruz, CA

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Highlights
- Santa Cruz spends 3.6% less per student than Ames.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 48.6% higher in Santa Cruz than in Ames. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Santa Cruz had 1.4% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Ames
 Ames, IASanta Cruz, CAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$16,364$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,178  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,688$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio14.7  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock62714573
 Students per Counselor346  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.3%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock95.7%88.9%
 Some College Educ.15.9%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock8.1%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.61.4%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock18.0%9.3%
 Professional Degree2.4%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock5.5%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 Santa Cruz    44 Reviews

I lived in the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. UCSC alum. Our kids were born there. There are wonderful things about Santa Cruz, but also many serious problems that we  More

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Over 5 years ago

I have been here for four generations! My kids are the fifth. I guess that should tell you how wonderful it is here, at least for us. It's so cool to have world class  More

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I was born over the hill in San Jose area, and as a kid I loved coming over to the boardwalk. Santa Cruz has always been and always will be a town of diversity,  More

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