Enrollment
640
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chester, IL
Chester Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Chester Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170981000578
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 67
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chester Elem School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median.
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 640
- students enrolled
Chester Elem School has class sizes near the Illinois median. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Chester Cusd 139 · Illinois
NCES ID 170981000578 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chester Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chester Elem School
Chester Elem School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Chester, Illinois, enrolling 640 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 640 puts it in the larger third of Illinois schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,845 scored Illinois schools.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 36/100).
13.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Chester Cusd 139 spends $12,457 per pupil, 27% below the Illinois average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district, Chester Cusd 139, also runs Chester High School (335 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 Elem School compares
Chester Elem School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▲ 4% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 640 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
640
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 63% in Illinois - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
13.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,457
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.8 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
White 77.6%
Hispanic or Latino 18.3%
Two or More 3.1%
African American 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 77.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.3, Chester Elem School is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chester Cusd 139, which includes Chester Elem School.
$12,457
Per student
-27%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.6%
State 54.3%
Federal 12.1%
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 Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester High School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chester Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 335
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~640 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chester Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Chester Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Chester Cusd 139'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 Elem School
How many students attend Chester Elem School?
Chester Elem School has 640 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chester, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chester Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Chester Elem School is 14.5:1, which is 4% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chester Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Chester Elem School is White at 77.6% of enrollment, in Chester, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chester Elem School?
Chester Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Chester Elem School a good school?
Chester Elem School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Illinois median. 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 Cusd 139?
Besides Chester Elem School, Chester Cusd 139 also operates Chester High School (335 students). See the Chester Cusd 139 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.