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

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Highlights
- Alexandria spends 11.7% more per student than Columbia.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 0.3% lower in Alexandria than in Columbia. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Alexandria had 3.0% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Columbia
 Columbia, SCAlexandria, VAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$19,159$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,952  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,923$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.36  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock12064573
 Students per Counselor336  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock4.1%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.7.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock93.2%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock5.3%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.44.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock23.6%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.5%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.8%1.5%
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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Reviews for Alexandria    49 Reviews

Old Town Alexandria is a charming port city, with lovely historic homes, fun restaurants and sweet shops. Its easy proximity to the hustle and bustle of DC offer  More

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Alexandria is different depending on what part of it you are in. There is a huge strata of rich and poor, with a few middle class neighborhoods in between. Old town is  More

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The mailing address in this area is Alexandria, or Engleside. Either way, it's SE Fairfax County between Fort Belvoir and Mount Vernon. The neighborhood has been here  More

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