2025 Compare Cities Education:
Gulf Shores, AL vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 32.1% more per student than Gulf Shores.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 13.4% lower in Columbia than in Gulf Shores. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 5.2% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Gulf Shores
 Gulf Shores, ALColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$10,640  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio17.73  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor388  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.3.0%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.22.2%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.34.9%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Gulf Shores    6 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

Owned a place there for 20 years and spend a few weeks each season there. Heading back in a few weeks! Lows: Spotty internet for work. Saturday traffic. Hurricanes.  More

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I know that there are a few people out there that would just as soon throw rotten tomatoes at me for saying what I’m about to say, but I hate, hate, HATE living in Gulf  More

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Over 14 years ago

Gulf Shores offers many sunny days, compared to the rest of Baldwin County.  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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