Enrollment
335
High
DISTRICT 488 · STATE 834
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHESTER CUSD 139·NCES 170981000579
Chester High School
1901 Swanwick St, Chester, IL 62233 · (618) 826-2302 · Randolph County
GRADES 09–12HIGH33-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL335 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 11% of Illinois public high schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- FBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public high schools
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.3:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
39%
132 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 56%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 91 | 27% |
| Grade 10 | 92 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 87 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 65 | 19% |
Student demographics
22%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 69% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Chester CUSD 139. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of IL schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
24.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
48.8%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-24.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 24% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 49% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Chester High School
Chester High School's state test result (24.2% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester High School this school | 335 | 39.4% | 24.2% |
| Bureau Valley High School Sheffield | 294 | 38.8% | 55.0% |
| Tuscola High School Tuscola | 299 | 38.1% | 32.3% |
| Princeville High School Princeville | 350 | 36.9% | 62.0% |
| Eastland Jr/Sr High School Lanark | 298 | 40.9% | 54.9% |
| Central High School Clifton | 298 | 37.9% | 35.2% |
Matched among Illinois high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Chester High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 24.2% | #414 of 573 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 335 | #418 of 708 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.6:1 | #378 of 528 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 22.1% | #350 of 537 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 39.4% | #410 of 578 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.8% | #173 of 191 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
335
-28 (-8%) vs 2020
-7% since 1990-91, when it was 360
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 335 | 21.6 | 15.6:1 | 39% (132) |
| 2023-24 | 331 | 22.6 | 14.7:1 | 40% (132) |
| 2022-23 | 323 | 24.1 | 13.4:1 | 40% (129) |
| 2020-21 | 363 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 329 | 23.5 | 14.0:1 | 36% (120) |
| 2015-16 | 294 | 27 | 10.9:1 | 37% (109) |
| 2010-11 | 336 | 26 | 12.9:1 | 28% (95) |
| 2000-01 | 394 | 30 | 13.1:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 360 | 21 | 17.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Chester High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 2% (329 to 335); teachers down 8% (23.5 to 21.6).
About Chester High School
Federal records list Chester High School as a high school in Chester, Illinois. The school teaches grades 9 through 12 and enrolls 335 students. That puts enrollment 60% below the 834-student average for high schools in Illinois.
Chester CUSD 139 has 975 students spread across 2 schools.
Of every 100 students at Chester High School, about 88 are White. After that, the student body is 9% Hispanic. Census estimates put Randolph County at about 86% White, close to the school's figure. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 22, compared with 70 nationally.
Chester High School reports a ratio of 15.6 students per teacher, from 21.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. The gap from the 13.8:1 average for high schools in Illinois is 1.8 students per teacher. Student poverty is often measured by lunch eligibility; at Chester High School, 39% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Among public schools in Randolph County, the average eligibility rate is 51%.
Among Illinois public high schools, Chester High School outscored 11%, which works out to a D on the allk12 Grade.
Schools in Illinois with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to post an average proficiency rate across its state test results near 48.8%. Chester High School posts 24.2%, 24.5 points below that, which places it in the bottom 10% statewide on BeatsExpectations.
Census data for Randolph County show the median household earns about $68,131 a year, roughly 15% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Chester High School, Randolph County has 16 public schools.
Chester High School's closest public school neighbor is Chester Elementary School, about 1.0 miles away. Within ten miles of Chester High School, there are 2 other public schools. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Chester High School is 9th of 9 on proficiency.
Its location is classified as Town: Remote by the National Center for Education Statistics.
From 363 students in 2020-21, enrollment decreased to 335 by 2024-25.
This community page is for conversations about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. You can also rate the school on this page.
Randolph County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
30,058
Census ACS
Median income
$68,131
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
15%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
16
3,876 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Chester CUSD 139
- Chester Elementary SchoolElementary · 640 students
Other schools in Chester
- Chester Elementary SchoolElementary · 640 students
- Okaw Regional Voc SystemHigh
Other Chester High schools
3 other US public schools in 4 states are named Chester High. Chester High School is the 2nd largest of the 4.
- Chester High SchoolChester, PA · 806 students
- Chester High SchoolCHESTER, TX · 123 students
- Chester High School - 01Chester, SD · 107 students
Nearby schools
- Chester Elementary School1.0 mi · 640
- Steeleville High School10.0 mi · 148
- Steeleville Elementary School10.1 mi · 323
- Evansville Attendance Center13.6 mi · 109
- Trico Senior High School13.6 mi · 220
- STE. GENEVIEVE MIDDLE13.7 mi · 412
Frequently asked questions
About Chester High SchoolHow many students attend Chester High School?
Chester High School enrolls approximately 335 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Chester High School serve?
Chester High School serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Chester High School have?
Chester High School employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.6:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Chester High School?
At Chester High School, the student body is approximately 88% White, 9% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Is Chester High School public or private?
Chester High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Chester CUSD 139.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.