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2025 Compare Cities Education:
Santa Monica, CA vs Palo Alto, CA

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Highlights
- Palo Alto spends 5.6% more per student than Santa Monica.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 1.2% lower in Palo Alto than in Santa Monica. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Palo Alto had 2.9% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Santa Monica
 Santa Monica, CAPalo Alto, CAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$18,401$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$14,374  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$8,804$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio21.86  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock65284573
 Students per Counselor380  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock1.8%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.6%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock97.0%88.9%
 Some College Educ.12.4%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock3.2%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.67.8%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock30.3%9.3%
 Professional Degree7.7%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock16.0%1.5%
Economy
Reviews for Santa Monica    24 Reviews
Renee · Santa Monica, CA
My comp of Okc vs SM differs from stars shown here
Over 4 years ago

I moved here to Santa Monica over 10 years ago from Oklahoma City. I was surprised to see that Oklahoma City was ranked higher than Santa Monica on best places. I  More

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Cynthia · Santa Monica, CA
Best investment I've made.
Over 4 years ago

I've lived in Santa Monica for over 30 years. It's a Mediterranean climate--sunny and temperate when the rest of the country is under snow! I am walking distance to  More

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John · Santa Monica, CA
Stay away. This place is dangerous.
Over 6 years ago

I have lived in this city for 4 decades, and it is never been worse than it is now. It is a dangerous disgusting hell hole. Between the crime, the homeless that are not  More

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Reviews for Palo Alto    8 Reviews
David · Palo Alto, CA
Wonderful place to live, except for the cost of li
Over 16 years ago

The Bay Area in general, but Palo Alto specifically provides many of the qualities sought by many; the climate is beautiful, there is access to cultural and recreational  More

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David · Menlo Park, CA
Cost of Living
Over 17 years ago

Very  More

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Lawrence · Palo Alto, CA
Public transit
Over 18 years ago

VTA and SamsTrans and Caltrain all provide good service and most times frequency of service is  More

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Learn More About Santa Monica, California
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