Chester Elem School

Located at 650 Opdyke St, in Chester, Illinois, Chester Elem School is a sprawling primary school that serves 640 students (grades pre-K through 8), one of the schools within Chester CUSD 139. That puts it 68% bigger than the typical public school in Illinois, which averages around 381 students.

Across the 2 schools in Chester CUSD 139 (975 students total), Chester Elem School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Chester Elem School lists that White students make up the majority at 77%. Beyond that, the school lists 18% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 86% White, putting the school's mix noticeably less White than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 49 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.9:1 average. About 59% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Chester Elem School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 37.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 34.6%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Randolph County indicate the typical household earns roughly $68,131 per year, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 10%. Chester Elem School is one of 16 public schools in Randolph County (combined enrollment of about 3,876 students).

Chester High School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.0 miles from this campus. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Chester Elem School ranks 5th on composite proficiency, below the local average of 39.7%.

The school occupies a town-based site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count changed only slightly: 649 students in 2018 compared to 640 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged up from 8% to 18%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 16.1:1 in 2018 to 13.1:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.