| | Sanford, NC | Rutherfordton, NC | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $10,256 | $11,121 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $9,304 | $10,462 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $5,971 | $6,242 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 14.13 | 14.29 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 1070 | 508 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 316 | 281 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 8.4% | 2.3% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 10.5% | 5.1% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 81.0% | 92.6% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 20.7% | 25.1% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 13.1% | 10.1% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 21.6% | 34.8% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 5.6% | 3.9% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 0.4% | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.5% |