| | Shelby, NC | Altoona, PA | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $10,497 | $17,215 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $9,933 | $13,370 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $6,241 | $8,226 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 15.22 | 13.66 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 600 | 945 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 288 | 311 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 3.5% | 1.9% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 7.3% | 6.9% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 89.2% | 91.2% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 19.7% | 17.3% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 13.6% | 7.6% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 24.9% | 18.5% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 5.6% | 4.6% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 2.3% | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 1.2% | 0.4% | 1.5% |