2025 Compare Cities Education:
San Marcos, CA vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 4.9% more per student than San Marcos.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 32.2% lower in Columbia than in San Marcos. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 3.0% more residents who had graduated High School compared to San Marcos
 San Marcos, CAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$13,161  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio22.65  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor513  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.5.4%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.20.5%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.40.9%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.9%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for San Marcos    5 Reviews

Just an amazing place to live. I have lived in 7 states and almost countless cities. Sam Marcos is one of the best. This is literally the longest place I have lived  More

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Over 15 years ago

Is this area to expensive for the average income retired  More

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Over 18 years ago

Beautiful Mediterranean climate with bright sunshine and ocean breazes. City is just 15 minutes away from the  More

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Reviews for Columbia    50 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

I love living in Columbia! I recently graduated from USC and plan to stay. I read the reviews posted here and it shows that like many cities, your experience will depend  More

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Loved living in Columbia, SC prior to my job transfer. It's the perfect size - plenty to do, but still a laid back place. People are extremely friendly, there are  More

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Columbia is such a unique and underrated place. It has a lot of character and history, and good nature trails. Everything feels accessible (by car) and you can get from  More

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