Enrollment
335
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 170981000579
Chester High School — Chester, IL
Federal NCES profile for Chester High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 46
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 31
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Chester Cusd 139 · Illinois
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.6:1 Illinois avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chester High School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Chester High School reports 335 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% below the Illinois state mean of 14.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 1 Advanced Placement course, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 335 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Chester Cusd 139 spends $14,080 per pupil district-wide, below the Illinois average of $20,099 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.6% from local sources (property taxes), 54.3% from the state, and 12.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Chester High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Illinois state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▼ 8% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 335 | top 43% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 49% in Illinois — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
27.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,080
per pupil, district-wide
— below Illinois avg of $20,099
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 335 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
80
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 23.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 335 Top 43% in Illinois — larger than 57% of 3,845 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 170981000579
Student demographics
White 87.8%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 1.8%
African American 1.2%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 87.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 335:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.5%
In-school suspensions 80
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chester Cusd 139, which includes Chester High School.
$14,080
Per student
-30%
vs Illinois
Avg $20,099
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 640
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Chester High School
How many students attend Chester High School?
Chester High School has 335 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chester, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chester High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Chester High School is 13.5:1, which is 8% lower than the Illinois average of 14.6:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chester High School?
The largest demographic group at Chester High School is White at 87.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Chester, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chester High School?
Chester High School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.