2025 Compare Cities Education:
Columbia, SC vs Mason City, IA

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Highlights
- Mason City spends 17.8% less per student than Columbia.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 12.6% lower in Mason City than in Columbia. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Mason City had 2.6% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Columbia
 Columbia, SCMason City, IAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$14,096$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,952  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$8,379$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.36  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock9934573
 Students per Counselor336  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.8%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.7.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock92.8%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock16.5%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.44.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock5.3%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.5%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock0.6%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 Mason City    8 Reviews

I am from the area originally and have lived several places. I recently moved back from Arizona. I moved back to help with my elderly parents. If I did not have  More

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Over 13 years ago

Where to begin?? Murder,arson,abductions,beastialty,gang killings,meth labs,pantie thiefs. High utility bills, no jobs, corrupt police, evil judges, minus 40 below wind  More

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Over 14 years ago

Unless you have a tie to Mason City, such as family, don't even consider this desolate town. The population is declining rapidly for a reason. You are on an island,  More

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