Enrollment
699
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 450153000298
Chester Senior High — Chester, SC
Federal NCES profile for Chester Senior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
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 01 · South Carolina
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)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+6% 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
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 Senior High reports 699 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 50.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 35% above the South Carolina average and 93% above the national baseline. The school offers 2 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 233 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Chester 01 spends $16,887 per pupil district-wide, below the South Carolina average of $17,182 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.8% from local sources (property taxes), 45.8% from the state, and 20.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Senior High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against South Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.1:1 | ▲ 6% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 35% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 699 | top 67% | — | — |
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.
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
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 6% above state mean
Top 64% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
47.9%
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
$16,887
per pupil, district-wide
— below South Carolina avg of $17,182
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
Enrollment 699 Top 67% in South Carolina — larger than 33% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 50.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +35% vs state
NCES ID 450153000298
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 233:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.9%
In-school suspensions 305
Out-of-school suspensions 253
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chester 01, which includes Chester Senior High.
$16,887
Per student
-2%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 594
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Enrollment
- 479
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
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 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 15.1:1, which is 6% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Chester, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chester Senior High?
Chester Senior High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.