| | Columbus, KS | Independence, KS | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $13,898 | $13,205 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $13,107 | $12,263 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $8,206 | $7,661 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 13.59 | 14.49 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 323 | 398 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 215 | 532 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 1.6% | 2.7% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 11.4% | 5.5% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 87.0% | 91.8% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 22.5% | 22.7% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 6.0% | 13.2% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 20.4% | 25.3% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 8.1% | 9.7% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 0.7% | 1.0% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.5% | 0.3% | 1.5% |