2025 Compare Cities Education:
West Des Moines, IA vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 20.0% more per student than West Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 1.1% lower in Columbia than in West Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 6.4% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to West Des Moines
 West Des Moines, IAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.2.1%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.17.1%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.53.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree4.1%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for West Des Moines    4 Reviews

Over 16 years ago

I just moved here from out-of-state a few months ago and have been pleasantly surprised by the broad range of activities and amenities available in this medium sized IA  More

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Over 16 years ago

Am contemplating a move to WDM from the East Coast (NYC). Might there be anyone out there that may have experienced this and could offer guidance or comment. Thanks.   More

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We just moved to West Des Moines and we love it here! We moved here three months ago and every weekend we have been able to do something different and fun. There is  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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