2025 Compare Cities Education:
Columbia, SC vs Gainesville, GA

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Highlights
- Gainesville spends 31.7% less per student than Columbia.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 5.0% lower in Gainesville than in Columbia. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Gainesville had 16.3% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Columbia
 Columbia, SCGainesville, GAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$11,714$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,952  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$6,751$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.36  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock4284573
 Students per Counselor336  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock16.5%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.7.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock75.7%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock5.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.44.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock6.1%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.5%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock2.4%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 Gainesville    6 Reviews

Over 10 years ago

Don't know if it is the proximity to Atlanta that keeps prices high or the rural/frugal thinking that keeps housing opportunities at a minimum, but after living here for  More

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I moved to Gainesville,Ga in 2010 from NYC and I have found it's a great place to raise your childrens and a good quality of life.It's a good place to live. Gainesville  More

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Over 16 years ago

This is a great place to live if you like the country feel and enjoy all 4 seasons. Nice people and lots to  More

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