2025 Compare Cities Education:
Columbia, SC vs San Marcos, CA

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Highlights
- San Marcos spends 4.7% less per student than Columbia.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 47.5% higher in San Marcos than in Columbia. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- San Marcos had 2.9% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Columbia
 Columbia, SCSan Marcos, CAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$16,358$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,952  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$8,084$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.36  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock187444573
 Students per Counselor336  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock6.8%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.7.3%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock87.8%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock8.4%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.44.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock10.2%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.5%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.7%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 San Marcos    5 Reviews

Just an amazing place to live. I have lived in 7 states and almost countless cities. Sam Marcos is one of the best. This is literally the longest place I have lived  More

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Over 15 years ago

Is this area to expensive for the average income retired  More

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Over 18 years ago

Beautiful Mediterranean climate with bright sunshine and ocean breazes. City is just 15 minutes away from the  More

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