2025 Compare Cities Education:
Surprise, AZ vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 62.4% more per student than Surprise.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 15.8% lower in Columbia than in Surprise. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 3.2% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Surprise
 Surprise, AZColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$8,653  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio18.24  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor718  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.4.8%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.26.9%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.30.6%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.4%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Surprise    52 Reviews

I have lived in Surprise, Az. For the past 21 years. One of the best cities to live in Az. From the police department to maintaining the streets & freeways. One thing I  More

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I am an Arizona native - 55 years - and have lived in Surprise since 2003. I wouldn't live anywhere else! I have watched this place grow and prosper. It is very family  More

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Over 11 years ago

The city of surprise is a beautiful place. It would not be a good place to live however. They have a young eager police force. You are taking a BIG risk driving  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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