Enrollment
806
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Chester, PA
Chester Hs
Federal NCES profile for Chester Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 420586006492
👥 S:T ratio 42
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 77
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chester Hs earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #1 of 7
- public schools in Chester · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 92.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Chester Hs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chester Hs ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Chester, PA.
School address
District: Chester-Upland Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420586006492 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
56.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.4%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chester Hs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chester Hs
Chester Hs is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Chester, Pennsylvania, enrolling 806 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 92.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 806 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 371 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #187.
Its student body is led by African American (80%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%) (diversity index 33/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 115 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 87.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 237 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 806 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Chester-Upland Sd also operates Stem at Showalter (477 students) and Edgmont Scholars Academy (422 students) alongside Chester Hs.
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 Hs compares
Chester Hs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▲ 6% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.4% | ▲ 59% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 806 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
806
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
92.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 68% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
87.1%
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
$20,841
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 115 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 237 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
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
African American 79.9%
Hispanic or Latino 17.5%
Two or More 1.6%
White 0.7%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 79.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.1, Chester Hs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chester-Upland Sd, which includes Chester Hs.
$20,841
Per student
+16%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.3%
State 74.2%
Federal 7.6%
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 Hs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stem at Showalter | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Edgmont Scholars Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chester Upland Sch of Arts | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Toby Farms Intermediate School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Main Street Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chester Hs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 477
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 422
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 359
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~806 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chester Hs's federal record.
- Compare Chester Hs against another school. Compare schools
- Chester-Upland Sd'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 Hs
How many students attend Chester Hs?
Chester Hs has 806 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chester, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chester Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Chester Hs is 14.4:1, which is 6% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Chester Hs?
92.4% of students at Chester Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chester Hs?
The largest demographic group at Chester Hs is African American at 79.9% of enrollment, in Chester, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chester Hs?
Chester Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Hs rank among public schools in Chester?
By Resource Investment Index, Chester Hs ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Chester, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Chester on the city page.
Is Chester Hs a good school?
Chester Hs earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania 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-Upland Sd?
Besides Chester Hs, Chester-Upland Sd also operates Stem at Showalter (477 students), Edgmont Scholars Academy (422 students), and Chester Upland Sch of Arts (384 students). See the Chester-Upland Sd 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.