| | Columbus, NE | Brookings, SD | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $12,946 | $13,747 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $11,317 | $9,837 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $6,840 | $6,203 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 15.26 | 14.56 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 294 | 2469 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 317 | 310 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 4.9% | 1.1% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 6.8% | 2.9% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 88.3% | 95.9% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 22.8% | 18.4% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 12.9% | 6.9% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 22.0% | 49.8% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 5.5% | 10.2% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 1.0% | 3.6% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.1% | 5.4% | 1.5% |