Chester Middle School - 03

Chester Middle School - 03 is an intermediate school of one-room-style scale in Chester, South Dakota, one of the schools within Chester Area School District 39-1, hosting 67 students in grades 6 through 8. That puts it 64% below the typical public school in South Dakota, which averages around 187 students.

Chester Middle School - 03 is one of 7 schools operated by Chester Area School District 39-1, a district that serves 582 students overall.

On demographics, Chester Middle School - 03 shows that the student body is overwhelmingly White (93%); the rest looks like 4% multiracial, 3% Hispanic. That composition is broadly in line with Lake County as a whole.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Chester Middle School - 03 has 6 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.2:1. The state averages around 13.4:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 19% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

With demographic context factored in, Chester Middle School - 03 performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 55.1%, the actual is 47.2%, a residual of -7.9 points.

In the broader community, Lake County reports that median household income runs about $76,808, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. Across Lake County's 21 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,009 students), Chester Middle School - 03 is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Chester Elementary -02, around 0.0 miles off. Within five miles, there are 4 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Chester Middle School - 03 at 3rd of 4; the average score across the group is 41.5%.

The campus sits in a low-density setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Chester Middle School - 03 has shrank 21%, going from 85 students in 2018 to 67 in 2025. The White share of enrollment ticked down from 98% to 93% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 16.3:1 in 2018 to 11.2:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the feed for Chester Middle School - 03 typically covers classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.