2025 Compare Cities Education:
Independence, MO vs Ames, IA

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Highlights
- Ames spends 19.2% more per student than Independence.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 3.6% higher in Ames than in Independence. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Ames had 7.6% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Independence
 Independence, MOAmes, IAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$16,979$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$12,022  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,158$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio14.19  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock6004573
 Students per Counselor424  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock0.7%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.7.1%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock97.0%88.9%
 Some College Educ.24.7%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.19.9%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock17.2%9.3%
 Professional Degree0.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock9.7%1.5%
Reviews for Independence    10 Reviews

The ice age sent glaciers sweeping south, ending at what is the edge of the Missouri River. Independence, Missouri, has artesian water straight from this glacial melt  More

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Over 11 years ago

I've lived here pretty much all my life, and I have to say, I'm ready to get out. I'm not sure if the crime here has just skyrocketed over recent years, or if I was just  More

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Over 12 years ago

Independence, Missouri is just like any other fairly large, fairly old town. A city approaching 200 years old and having nearly 120,000 residents is going to have both  More

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Reviews for Ames    12 Reviews

Over 13 years ago

Hello, I am in San Jose Ca, but am seriously thinking of moving somewhere much slower for a better quality of living. I've just turned 59, so I'm kinda preparing for  More

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Over 13 years ago

Like every other city Ames has both good and bad points. The good points are: low cost of living, very friendly people, lots of outdoor activities and quite a few events  More

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Ames enjoys a high quality of life at a very affordable cost, substantially lower than many other communities. The presence of Iowa State University, a large (28,000  More

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