2025 Compare Cities Education:
Philadelphia, PA vs Surprise, AZ

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Highlights
- Surprise spends 59.1% less per student than Philadelphia.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 21.3% higher in Surprise than in Philadelphia. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Surprise had 8.0% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Philadelphia
 Philadelphia, PASurprise, AZUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$10,564$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,192  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$4,810$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.04  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock23484573
 Students per Counselor408  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.7%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.8.4%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock93.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.16.7%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock10.8%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.32.5%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock8.5%9.3%
 Professional Degree3.0%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock0.8%1.5%
Reviews for Philadelphia    139 Reviews

Philadelphia is a very walkable and fun city to explore (albeit be aware of where not to explore at least at night). The city has beautiful old architecture , great  More

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I’m originally from New York City, then lived in a small city in upstate New York for eight years, then moved down to Philadelphia and have lived here for many years.  More

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Now the only reason some people disagree is because MONEY. If you live in “manayunk” (which I lived for 2 years) you can’t compare … you can’t compare your out skirt  More

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Reviews for Surprise    52 Reviews

I have lived in Surprise, Az. For the past 21 years. One of the best cities to live in Az. From the police department to maintaining the streets & freeways. One thing I  More

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I am an Arizona native - 55 years - and have lived in Surprise since 2003. I wouldn't live anywhere else! I have watched this place grow and prosper. It is very family  More

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Over 11 years ago

The city of surprise is a beautiful place. It would not be a good place to live however. They have a young eager police force. You are taking a BIG risk driving  More

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