| | West Plains, MO | Spencer, IA | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $11,876 | $14,806 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $9,798 | $11,908 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $5,776 | $7,648 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 12.83 | 15.76 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 834 | 1160 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 309 | 378 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 2.7% | 0.3% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 11.0% | 3.6% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 86.3% | 96.1% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 18.2% | 24.2% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 10.7% | 13.3% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 22.0% | 24.2% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 5.5% | 4.2% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 1.4% | 2.7% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 3.6% | 0.3% | 1.5% |