2026 Compare Cities Education:
Gainesville, FL vs Santa Cruz, CA

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Highlights
- Santa Cruz spends 41.4% more per student than Gainesville.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 20.1% higher in Santa Cruz than in Gainesville. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Santa Cruz had 2.5% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Gainesville
 Gainesville, FLSanta Cruz, CAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$16,364$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$10,094  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,688$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio18.19  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock62714573
 Students per Counselor501  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.3%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.4.0%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock95.7%88.9%
 Some College Educ.15.8%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock8.1%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.49.0%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock18.0%9.3%
 Professional Degree3.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock5.5%1.5%
Reviews for Gainesville    60 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

I've lived here most of my life. It's changed a lot, and a lot of the locals don't like it. Because it's home to one of the largest universities in the country, we see a  More

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Lovely diverse city! People is nice and there is always something to do. Outdoors activities are awesome! The springs are beautiful and there are plenty of hiking  More

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Gainesville has the highest taxes and electrical rates in the state. The city is run by a bunch of liberals who have no idea what they are doing. Crime and homelessness  More

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Reviews for Santa Cruz    44 Reviews

I lived in the Santa Cruz area for 20 years. UCSC alum. Our kids were born there. There are wonderful things about Santa Cruz, but also many serious problems that we  More

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Over 6 years ago

I have been here for four generations! My kids are the fifth. I guess that should tell you how wonderful it is here, at least for us. It's so cool to have world class  More

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I was born over the hill in San Jose area, and as a kid I loved coming over to the boardwalk. Santa Cruz has always been and always will be a town of diversity,  More

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