2026 Compare Cities Education:
Columbia, SC vs Plano, TX

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Highlights
- Plano spends 13.1% less per student than Columbia.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 2.8% lower in Plano than in Columbia. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Plano had 3.1% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Columbia
 Columbia, SCPlano, TXUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$14,902$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,952  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$6,140$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.36  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock8004573
 Students per Counselor336  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock3.8%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.7.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock93.3%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock6.5%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.44.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock18.1%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.5%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock2.1%1.5%
Reviews for Columbia    50 Reviews

Over 3 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 Plano    42 Reviews

I had lived in Plano for over 30 years. It is where I bought my first home as a single woman, where I married, and where I raised my children. I was fortunate enough  More

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We have lived in Plano for 20 years. It has been consistently rated very highly in surveys of best places to live in the US. Pros are the parks system; which includes  More

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Over 5 years ago

I've lived here for a while now. It's wonderful here. There's a ton to do, great jobs, great parks, and pretty good school. It's the perfect  More

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