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

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 34.5% more per student than Chester.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 2.1% higher in Columbia than in Chester. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 1.3% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Chester
 Chester, VAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$10,033  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.05  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor305  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.3.4%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.19.9%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.32.5%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.9%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Chester    6 Reviews

I just recently discovered a little suburb of Richmond, called Chester. Yes, it is small and not much going on in that area - but if you want a peaceful area to live -  More

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I grew up in Chester and it really isn't a bad place to live if you like living in a very populated area. It has great schools, low crime, easy access to both Richmond  More

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Chester, because of its location midway between Richmond, VA and Petersburg, VA, was once just a train station. With residential growth in affluent Chesterfield County  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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