2026 Compare Cities Education:
Santa Barbara, CA vs Hilo, HI

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Highlights
- Hilo spends 6.3% more per student than Santa Barbara.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 31.5% lower in Hilo than in Santa Barbara. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Hilo had 6.9% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Santa Barbara
 Santa Barbara, CAHilo, HIUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,751$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$13,158  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,806$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio21.01  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock12324573
 Students per Counselor539  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.7%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.4.9%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock94.0%88.9%
 Some College Educ.18.5%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock13.6%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.50.5%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock7.2%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.6%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock2.1%1.5%
Reviews for Santa Barbara    51 Reviews

I moved to Santa Barbara around 23 years ago to study at Brooks, which like most of the Santa Barbara that I knew—has been destroyed. Homelessness, drugs, gangs, high  More

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Over 5 years ago

I fell in love with Santa Barbara about thirty years ago and finally moved here a few years ago. Because of the price of homes, it is an expensive place to live. The  More

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If you like high crime, paying a $4,500 a month mortgage and crazy high taxes, this is the place for you. It’s too bad because it wasn’t always like this. When I moved  More

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Reviews for Hilo    10 Reviews

If you’re looking at Hilo, then you’re likely being recruited in the medical or education fields. These are where the greatest needs of the community lie, and there are  More

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Over 5 years ago

I enjoyed living in Hawaii County for a number of years, most in Hilo. While Hilo has problems, they are few compared to mainland USA. I never experienced racism by  More

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Over 5 years ago

Too much racism from "native Hawaiians" who aren't actually natives. That keeps me from living in that paradise. I'm this is the "natives" goal.  More

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