2025 Compare Cities Education:
Elgin, IL vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 2.5% less per student than Elgin.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 6.5% higher in Columbia than in Elgin. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 12.7% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Elgin
 Elgin, ILColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$15,271  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio14.42  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor659  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.8.2%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.21.6%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.26.0%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.0%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Elgin    9 Reviews

When I first moved to Elgin 2 years ago I did not like it. I lived in a mobile home park near the river and highway 90 in a senior community that over prices it's lot  More

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Hi, as a way of updating the post for Elgin and providing a rebuttal for some of the negative reviews, I've decided to post on this board. I've lived in Elgin since  More

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Over 15 years ago

I have lived in Elgin my whole life and it is very sad to read these comments about my town.... I'm a senior at South Elgin High School and I will be graduating this  More

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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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