@PurpleFaithful The issue with small LAC’s is that they very often don’t meet the same level of (1) of that list I provided. I also wouldn’t use “teaching quality” for an overall school to reflect a technical subject at an LAC as it really depends on the college, and some LAC’s fall behind in CS if their department is not big or getting updated attention. There are good LAC’s for CS (like Mudd) but some won’t offer as much in courses or professors, let alone research. The thing to check for a LAC is that the department is big enough, and enough high level electives are offered. I don’t know Carleton specifically, but the thread below is a good starting point:
Looking there at a quick glance, it seems like there isn’t as much as some other LAC’s, but again, fit and cost can still make it a viable option.