Enrollment
699
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Chester, SC
Chester Senior High
Federal NCES profile for Chester Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 450153000298
👥 S:T ratio 44
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chester Senior High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Chester · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Chester Senior High has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Chester Senior High ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Chester, SC.
School address
District: Chester 01 · South Carolina
NCES ID 450153000298 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chester Senior High compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chester Senior High
Chester Senior High is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Chester, South Carolina, enrolling 699 students.
At 14:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 14.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the South Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 699 puts it in the larger third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 288 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #117.
Its student body is led by African American (53%) and White (28%) (diversity index 62/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 233 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 558 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 699 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Chester 01 also operates Lewisville Elementary (594 students) and Chester Middle (479 students) alongside Chester Senior High.
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 Senior High compares
Chester Senior High on the metrics families compare, against South Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14:1 | ▼ 2% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 699 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
699
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% above the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 50% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
47.9%
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
$14,214
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 233 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
305
in-school suspensions + 253 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 43.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 79.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 53.4%
White 27.9%
Hispanic or Latino 12.7%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 0.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 53.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.8, Chester Senior High is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chester 01, which includes Chester Senior High.
$14,214
Per student
-2%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 33.8%
State 45.8%
Federal 20.4%
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 Senior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewisville Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chester Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lewisville High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Great Falls High | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Chester Park School Elementary of Inquiry | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chester Senior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 594
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 479
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~699 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chester Senior High's federal record.
- Compare Chester Senior High against another school. Compare schools
- Chester 01'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 Senior High
How many students attend Chester Senior High?
Chester Senior High has 699 students enrolled. It is a high school in Chester, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chester Senior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Chester Senior High is 14:1, which is 2% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 11% 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 Senior High?
100.0% of students at Chester Senior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chester Senior High?
The largest demographic group at Chester Senior High is African American at 53.4% of enrollment, in Chester, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chester Senior High?
Chester Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Chester Senior High rank among public schools in Chester?
By Resource Investment Index, Chester Senior High ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Chester, SC. 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 Senior High a good school?
Chester Senior High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina 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 01?
Besides Chester Senior High, Chester 01 also operates Lewisville Elementary (594 students), Chester Middle (479 students), and Lewisville High (431 students). See the Chester 01 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.