2025 Compare Cities Education:
Columbia, SC vs Altoona, PA

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Highlights
- Altoona spends 0.3% more per student than Columbia.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 11.1% lower in Altoona than in Columbia. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Altoona had 0.8% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Columbia
 Columbia, SCAltoona, PAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,215$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,952  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$8,226$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.36  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock9454573
 Students per Counselor336  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.9%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.7.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock91.2%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.6%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.44.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock4.6%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.5%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock0.4%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 Altoona    11 Reviews

Sun rises and sets over 2000+ ft. mountains, which does seem to shorten your summer days. It gets hot and humid in the summer, with not a lot of wind or airflow,  More

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Over 5 years ago

Though the climate in Altoona is cold in the Winter, it does often get less snow than Western Pennsylvania because of the Allegheny Front mountain range just to the west  More

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I grew up in Hollidaysburg near Altoona. The city has had its ups and downs throughout the years but all in all I think that central PA has the most beautiful scenery  More

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