2026 Compare Cities Education:
Fort Walton Beach, FL vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 73.7% more per student than Fort Walton Beach.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 11.3% lower in Columbia than in Fort Walton Beach. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 1.5% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Fort Walton Beach
 Fort Walton Beach, FLColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$9,180  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio17.31  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor409  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.4.9%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.24.7%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.27.6%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.1%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Fort Walton Beach    10 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

Ive lived in Fort Walton for atleast 15yrs.Ive seen the good days(early to late 200's)and now the bad.If you move here,youd better make atleast $10,000 a month.These  More

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I would like to know if Fort Walton Beach is a better place to live rather than busy Clearwater FL. We want to re-locate to a quieter city with all the amenities of a  More

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FWB is great for its beautiful beaches and saltwater fishing. It's also easy to move around town except during rush hour (yes, we have a rush hour - but it literally  More

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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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