| | Gulf Shores, AL | Marion, IA | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $12,984 | $16,072 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $10,640 | $11,730 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $6,183 | $7,206 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 17.73 | 14.7 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 601 | 442 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 388 | 365 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 1.7% | 0.9% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 3.0% | 2.4% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 95.4% | 96.8% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 22.2% | 20.4% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 11.5% | 14.5% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 34.9% | 36.7% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 9.6% | 8.5% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 2.4% | 0.9% | 1.5% |