| | Columbia, MS | Laurel, MS | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $10,555 | $8,969 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $10,124 | $8,509 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $5,854 | $5,211 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 12.96 | 14.42 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 613 | 634 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 517 | 504 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 7.1% | 8.5% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 15.0% | 8.9% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 77.9% | 82.6% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 20.6% | 18.3% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 9.1% | 8.7% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 13.2% | 21.6% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 3.7% | 6.5% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 0.2% | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1.5% |