Enrollment
538
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chester, NY
Chester Academy-Middle/High School
Federal NCES profile for Chester Academy-Middle/High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 360738000527
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 73
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chester Academy-Middle/High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.8:1
- students per teacher
- 37.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 538
- students enrolled
Chester Academy-Middle/High School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Chester Union Free School District · New York
NCES ID 360738000527 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.8:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.9%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chester Academy-Middle/High School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chester Academy-Middle/High School
Chester Academy-Middle/High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chester, New York, enrolling 538 students.
At 10.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the New York median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 37.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 538 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 873 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #294.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (41%) and White (38%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 66/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 135 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, Chester Union Free School District, also runs Chester Elementary School (393 students).
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Chester Academy-Middle/High School compares
Chester Academy-Middle/High School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.8:1 | ▼ 8% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.9% | ▼ 33% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 538 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.8:1
Leaner classes than 84% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
538
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
37.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.8:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 42% in New York - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$26,886
per pupil, district-wide
- above New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 135 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
63
in-school suspensions + 44 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 41.0%
White 38.4%
African American 14.9%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 2.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 41.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.1, Chester Academy-Middle/High School is more mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chester Union Free School District, which includes Chester Academy-Middle/High School.
$26,886
Per student
+2%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+62%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 61.4%
State 32.0%
Federal 6.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Chester Academy-Middle/High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chester Academy-Middle/High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~538 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chester Academy-Middle/High School's federal record.
- Compare Chester Academy-Middle/High School against another school. Compare schools
- Chester Union Free School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Chester Academy-Middle/High School
How many students attend Chester Academy-Middle/High School?
Chester Academy-Middle/High School has 538 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chester, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chester Academy-Middle/High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Chester Academy-Middle/High School is 10.8:1, which is 8% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 31% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Chester Academy-Middle/High School?
37.9% of students at Chester Academy-Middle/High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chester Academy-Middle/High School?
The largest demographic group at Chester Academy-Middle/High School is Hispanic or Latino at 41.0% of enrollment, in Chester, NY. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chester Academy-Middle/High School?
Chester Academy-Middle/High School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Chester Academy-Middle/High School a good school?
Chester Academy-Middle/High School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New York schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Chester Union Free School District?
Besides Chester Academy-Middle/High School, Chester Union Free School District also operates Chester Elementary School (393 students). See the Chester Union Free School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.