| | Sylva, NC | Chicago, IL | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $11,932 | $21,907 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $11,177 | $18,508 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $6,332 | $11,567 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 13.85 | 13.97 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 678 | 1480 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 231 | 481 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 15.3% | 7.0% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 4.0% | 6.8% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 80.7% | 86.3% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 13.5% | 17.0% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 3.8% | 5.7% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 36.7% | 41.7% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 10.8% | 12.2% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 1.1% | 3.6% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 2.8% | 1.8% | 1.5% |