Is Chester High School a good school?

Chester High School ranks 439 th of 697 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Chester High School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 331 students attended Chester High School.

What is the racial makeup of Chester High School?

Students at Chester High School are 89% White, 8% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Chester High School?

Chester High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Chester Elementary School

Chester High School

Summary:

Chester High School is a public high school serving 323 students in grades 9-12 in Chester, Illinois. The school is part of the Chester CUSD 139 school district, which is ranked 531 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Chester High School has several notable strengths, including consistently high four-year graduation rates ranging from 88.0% to 92.0% over the past five years, which is higher than the 78.2% rate at nearby Sparta High School. However, the school's test scores, particularly in SAT/English Language Arts, have been relatively low, with only 19% of 11th-grade students proficient or better compared to the state average of 31.1%. Additionally, Chester High School has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 8.9% in 2019-2020 to 19.8% in the most recent year, which is higher than the nearby Trico Senior High School (25.9%) and Steeleville High School (20.1%).

While Chester High School performs relatively well for special education students, it struggles with low-socioeconomic status students, ranking in the bottom half of Illinois high schools in this category. The school's spending per student has increased over the years, reaching $13,944 in the most recent year, which is higher than the nearby Sparta High School ($15,629) and Steeleville High School ($13,119), suggesting a focus on investing resources in its students. Additionally, Chester High School maintains a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 13.3 to 13.4 in recent years, comparable to the nearby schools.

Detail:

Public 9-12

1901 Swanwick St
Chester, IL 62233-1128

(618) 826-2302

District: Chester CUSD 139

SchoolDigger Rank:
439^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,709

Feeder schools for Chester High School:

Elementary:

Chester Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.6

Number of students: 331

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.1%

Hispanic:

7.9%

Two or more races:

1.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 39.9%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Chester High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Chester High School ranks worse than 63% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 34.23. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Chester High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (89.1%), Hispanic (7.9%), two or more races (1.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 39.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Chester High School is 14.6. (See more...)

Compare Chester High School employs 22.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Chester High School is $13,709.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Chester High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Chester High School 439^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Chester High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Chester CUSD 139:

SchoolDigger ranks Chester CUSD 139 531^st of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Chester High School

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Rank History for all students at Chester High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	39.52	420^th	586	28.3%
2004	66.59	204^th	592	65.5%
2005	41.59	404^th	590	31.5%
2006	47.98	361^st	596	39.4%
2007	42.03	402^nd	612	34.3%
2008	42.56	418^th	624	33.0%
2009	45.58	395^th	632	37.5%
2010	58.44	304^th	643	52.7%
2011	43.18	418^th	655	36.2%
2012	33.40	497^th	665	25.3%
2013	67.60	230^th	670	65.7%
2014	53.42	339^th	670	49.4%
2015	32.59	407^th	614	33.7%
2016	43.80	359^th	643	44.2%
2017	47.91	332^nd	642	48.3%
2018	34.77	441^st	647	31.8%
2019	38.79	439^th	701	37.4%
2021	23.44	519^th	688	24.6%
2022	33.74	467^th	699	33.2%
2023	42.65	404^th	699	42.2%
2024	34.23	439^th	697	37.0%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Chester High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2021	65.30	89^th	453	80.4%
2022	31.21	286^th	493	42.0%
2023	42.70	204^th	476	57.1%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Chester High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	32.36	430^th	585	26.5%
2019	23.62	510^th	639	20.2%
2021	29.81	444^th	611	27.3%
2022	19.10	538^th	626	14.1%
2023	24.50	508^th	644	21.1%
2024	26.80	471^st	639	26.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Chester High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	33.30	429^th	620	30.8%
2019	41.87	391^st	665	41.2%
2021	30.91	424^th	639	33.6%
2022	38.52	405^th	658	38.4%
2023	42.50	384^th	656	41.5%
2024	31.20	439^th	664	33.9%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Chester High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	34.93	421^st	619	32.0%
2019	33.68	455^th	675	32.6%
2021	17.45	539^th	653	17.5%
2022	29.98	465^th	664	30.0%
2023	41.67	384^th	668	42.5%
2024	36.37	398^th	668	40.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Chester High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	19.56	475^th	548	13.3%
2019	24.24	437^th	552	20.8%
2021	14.99	502^nd	553	9.2%
2022	18.53	485^th	560	13.4%
2023	26.28	434^th	557	22.1%
2024	18.51	472^nd	554	14.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for Chester High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1989	385	2	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	388
1990	381	3	n/a	1	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	385
1991	358	1	0	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	360
1992	373	1	1	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	375
1993	367	2	1	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	371
1994	379	3	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	385
1995	400	2	2	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	411
1996	400	2	2	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	411
1997	402	4	2	4	0	n/a	n/a	0	412
1998	405	5	4	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	421
1999	401	4	3	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	410
2000	405	4	2	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	412
2001	388	2	3	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	394
2002	359	5	4	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	369
2003	359	5	4	1	0	n/a	n/a	0	369
2004	354	3	2	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	359
2005	338	6	3	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	350
2006	341	6	2	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	351
2007	342	4	3	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	354
2008	330	2	3	4	0	n/a	n/a	6	345
2009	333	7	1	0	11	n/a	n/a	5	357
2010	276	4	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	7	290
2011	319	4	2	4	0	0	7	0	336
2012	324	6	1	4	0	0	8	0	343
2013	322	1	1	1	1	0	9	0	335
2014	305	8	1	3	0	0	10	0	327
2015	305	7	1	6	0	0	14	0	333
2016	271	7	0	3	0	0	13	0	294
2017	287	8	0	4	0	0	12	0	311
2018	305	6	0	9	0	0	9	0	329
2019	295	10	0	14	0	0	13	0	332
2020	314	12	0	17	1	0	10	0	354
2021	326	4	0	19	0	0	14	0	363
2022	292	2	1	24	0	0	17	0	336
2023	282	4	1	22	0	0	14	0	323
2024	295	3	1	26	0	0	6	0	331

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Chester High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	388	22.0	17.6	n/a
1990	385	21.0	18.3	n/a
1991	360	21.0	17.1	n/a
1992	375	21.7	17.2	n/a
1993	371	22.7	16.3	n/a
1994	385	23.0	16.7	n/a
1995	411	23.5	17.5	n/a
1996	411	23.5	17.5	n/a
1997	412	24.0	17.2	n/a
1998	421	25.0	16.8	n/a
1999	410	28.0	14.6	n/a
2000	412	29.5	14.0	n/a
2001	394	30.0	13.1	n/a
2002	369	31.0	11.9	21.1
2003	369	31.0	11.9	21.1
2004	359	28.0	12.8	22
2005	350	28.0	12.5	24.3
2006	351	28.0	12.5	25.1
2007	354	23.0	15.4	24
2008	345	23.0	15.0	27.7
2009	357	30.0	11.9	29.5
2010	290	29.0	10.0	43.5
2011	336	26.0	12.9	28.3
2012	343	24.0	14.2	30
2013	335	36.0	9.3	31
2014	327	23.0	14.2	36.7
2015	333	26.0	12.8	40.8
2016	294	27.0	10.8	37.1
2017	311	20.5	15.1	38.3
2018	329	23.5	14.0	36.5
2019	332	23.5	14.1	38.6
2020	354	23.0	15.3	39.3
2021	363	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	336	25.2	13.3	41.1
2023	323	24.1	13.4	39.9
2024	331	22.6	14.6	39.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Chester High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	388	22.0	17.6	n/a
1990	385	21.0	18.3	n/a
1991	360	21.0	17.1	n/a
1992	375	21.7	17.2	n/a
1993	371	22.7	16.3	n/a
1994	385	23.0	16.7	n/a
1995	411	23.5	17.5	n/a
1996	411	23.5	17.5	n/a
1997	412	24.0	17.2	n/a
1998	421	25.0	16.8	n/a
1999	410	28.0	14.6	n/a
2000	412	29.5	14.0	n/a
2001	394	30.0	13.1	n/a
2002	369	31.0	11.9	21.1
2003	369	31.0	11.9	21.1
2004	359	28.0	12.8	22
2005	350	28.0	12.5	24.3
2006	351	28.0	12.5	25.1
2007	354	23.0	15.4	24
2008	345	23.0	15.0	27.7
2009	357	30.0	11.9	29.5
2010	290	29.0	10.0	43.5
2011	336	26.0	12.9	28.3
2012	343	24.0	14.2	30
2013	335	36.0	9.3	31
2014	327	23.0	14.2	36.7
2015	333	26.0	12.8	40.8
2016	294	27.0	10.8	37.1
2017	311	20.5	15.1	38.3
2018	329	23.5	14.0	36.5
2019	332	23.5	14.1	38.6
2020	354	23.0	15.3	39.3
2021	363	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	336	25.2	13.3	41.1
2023	323	24.1	13.4	39.9
2024	331	22.6	14.6	39.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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