| | Highlands, NC | Banner Elk, NC | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $11,276 | $17,798 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $10,359 | $12,787 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $6,340 | $7,415 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 13.47 | 12.16 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 639 | 492 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 407 | 328 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 1.6% | 0.4% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 97.3% | 99.6% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 22.1% | 21.5% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 10.5% | 8.3% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 52.4% | 52.9% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 15.4% | 20.5% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 3.9% | 3.3% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 4.1% | 4.8% | 1.5% |