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

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 14.6% less per student than San Mateo.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 22.4% lower in Columbia than in San Mateo. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 1.6% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to San Mateo
 San Mateo, CAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$15,457  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio19.79  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor431  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.3.2%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.14.9%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.58.2%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree3.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for San Mateo    12 Reviews

I have lived in San Mateo since 2013. It has seen tremendous growth, lots of new restaurants which have become progressively more high-end though there is ample  More

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I'm a native of California. I have lived in the southern part of the state and the northern part of the state for most of my life. I have spent the last 29 years in  More

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Over 15 years ago

San Mateo has a diverse mix of people, a pleasant climate, a very pleasant downtown park with lots going on, and pretty much whatever you need handy. It's not far to  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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