| | Portales, NM | Columbia, SC | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $13,386 | $17,157 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $12,347 | $14,952 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $7,273 | $9,360 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 13.51 | 15.36 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 800 | 574 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 322 | 336 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 5.4% | 2.2% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 9.8% | 7.3% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 84.8% | 90.5% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 23.5% | 18.8% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 6.7% | 7.7% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 25.5% | 44.7% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 7.0% | 11.7% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 0.3% | 4.5% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.7% | 3.3% | 1.5% |