2025 Compare Cities Education:
Arlington, VA vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 27.2% less per student than Arlington.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 1.4% higher in Columbia than in Arlington. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 4.7% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Arlington
 Arlington, VAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$19,293  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.15  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor248  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.1.7%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.7.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.76.3%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree8.3%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Arlington    36 Reviews

Lived here 17 years, amazing  More

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Resident for 20 years. There is nothing hidden about Arlington. It is an affluent inner suburb of DC with a highly educated, mostly professional, population. The  More

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We've lived in Arlington for the past 7 years, and have enjoyed it but would prefer a less expensive, more open area. We live in a townhouse in Rosslyn, close to the  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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