Enrollment
107
South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Chester, SD
Chester High School - 01
Federal NCES profile for Chester High School - 01, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 461230000130
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 79
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chester High School - 01 earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota median.
- #2 of 3
- high schools in Chester · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.9:1
- students per teacher
- 1.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Chester High School - 01 has class sizes near the South Dakota median. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chester High School - 01 ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Chester, SD.
School address
District: Chester Area School District 39-1 · South Dakota
NCES ID 461230000130 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
1.7%
vs 28.8% South Dakota avg
-94% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chester High School - 01 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chester High School - 01
Chester High School - 01 is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Chester, South Dakota, enrolling 107 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of South Dakota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 1.7% free-meal eligibility runs 94% below the South Dakota average.
With 107 students, its enrollment sits close to the South Dakota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 691 scored South Dakota schools.
Against 95 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #29.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment) (diversity index 9/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 107 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
16.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Chester Area School District 39-1 spends $9,721 per pupil, 28% below the South Dakota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Chester's high schools, it stands alongside Chester Area Cyber School - 92 (106 students): Chester High School - 01 is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.9:1 vs 21.2:1).
Chester Area School District 39-1 also operates Chester Elementary -02 (154 students) and Chester Area Cyber School - 92 (106 students) alongside Chester High School - 01.
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 High School - 01 compares
Chester High School - 01 on the metrics families compare, against South Dakota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs South Dakota | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 1.7% | ▼ 94% | 28.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 107 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
107
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
1.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 94% below the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 35% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
16.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,721
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Dakota avg of $13,477
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 107 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 95.3%
Two or More 4.7%
Largest group: White at 95.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.0, Chester High School - 01 is less mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chester Area School District 39-1, which includes Chester High School - 01.
$9,721
Per student
-28%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.3%
State 32.0%
Federal 12.7%
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 High School - 01 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Elementary -02 | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chester Area Cyber School - 92 | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| High Plains - 06 | Similar size | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Chester Middle School - 03 | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rustic Acres Elementary - 04 | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chester High School - 01's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 154
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 106
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 84
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 67
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 41
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar high schools in Chester
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~107 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chester High School - 01's federal record.
- Compare Chester High School - 01 against another school. Compare schools
- Chester Area School District 39-1'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 High School - 01
How many students attend Chester High School - 01?
Chester High School - 01 has 107 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chester, SD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chester High School - 01?
The student-teacher ratio at Chester High School - 01 is 11.9:1, which is 12% lower than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 24% 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 High School - 01?
1.7% of students at Chester High School - 01 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chester High School - 01?
The largest demographic group at Chester High School - 01 is White at 95.3% of enrollment, in Chester, SD.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chester High School - 01?
Chester High School - 01 has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Chester High School - 01 rank among high schools in Chester?
By Resource Investment Index, Chester High School - 01 ranks #2 of 3 high schools in Chester, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Chester on the city page.
Is Chester High School - 01 a good school?
Chester High School - 01 earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Dakota 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 Area School District 39-1?
Besides Chester High School - 01, Chester Area School District 39-1 also operates Chester Elementary -02 (154 students), Chester Area Cyber School - 92 (106 students), and High Plains - 06 (84 students). See the Chester Area School District 39-1 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.