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Chester Elementary

Public Grades K-6
2737th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,857 California Elementary Schools
Better than 53% of California elementary schools
Summary

Chester Elementary is a small, rural public school serving about 171 students in grades K-6 within the Plumas Unified district, showing strong signs of recovery and improvement in recent years.

Academically, the school is a standout in its district, with students performing better in both English and Math than the Plumas Unified average and often matching or exceeding state averages. For example, in Math, Chester's proficiency rate is significantly higher than at nearby Greenville Elementary and Fletcher Walker Elementary. The most dramatic success story is in attendance, where the school has made an incredible turnaround, reducing chronic absenteeism from over 57% to just 16.1%, which is now better than both the district and state averages and far lower than the comparison schools.

While the school spends more per student than its neighbors, it maintains a slightly higher student-teacher ratio. Performance can vary from year to year, which is common for smaller schools, and subjects like Science present a clear area for continued growth. Overall, Chester Elementary is demonstrating effective strategies, particularly in supporting its students and improving attendance, which is contributing to its positive academic trajectory.

171
Students ?
22.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$30,507
Per pupil spending ?
48%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 158 Aspen St.
       Chester, CA  96020-0826

(530) 258-3194

District: Plumas Unified

Racial breakdown:

White:
66.7%
Hispanic:
17.0%
Two or more races:
12.3%
more
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At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 31st percentile in 2023 → 53rd in 2025
Strengths
✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 53rd (2025) from a 31st-percentile low (2023)
✓Among the top-ranked schools in Plumas Unified
✓Above the California median (53rd percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
!Science scores 15 pts below the California average
!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school40%
District avg27%
California avg41%
2,737th of 5,857
California public elementary schools ?
Top 47%▼ down 7 pts since 2015
From top 39% (2015) to top 47% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 4Elementary Schools in the Plumas Unified
1145th of 1,543Plumas Unified among California districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202547.42737 of 585753.3%★★★☆☆
202448.72632 of 586955.2%★★★☆☆
202328.04064 of 585930.6%★★☆☆☆
202231.93716 of 588336.8%★★☆☆☆
201962.51943 of 578966.4%★★★☆☆
201856.82197 of 566261.2%★★★☆☆
201751.22481 of 569256.4%★★★☆☆
201660.61961 of 561465.1%★★★☆☆
201554.62212 of 561160.6%★★★☆☆
201367.11711 of 553069.1%★★★☆☆
201256.12267 of 539057.9%★★★☆☆
201163.61818 of 537766.2%★★★☆☆
201069.91458 of 531472.6%★★★★☆
200968.81495 of 519371.2%★★★★☆
200875.51164 of 511377.2%★★★★☆
200780.2973 of 511381.0%★★★★☆
200673.01219 of 481874.7%★★★★☆
200581.9852 of 482282.3%★★★★☆
200475.91084 of 480977.5%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202456.52104 of 561262.5%★★★☆☆
202317.94894 of 560912.7%★☆☆☆☆
202247.52550 of 563554.7%★★★☆☆
201968.61564 of 549271.5%★★★★☆
201867.61618 of 541370.1%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202552.82254 of 546058.7%★★★☆☆
202460.21776 of 551767.8%★★★☆☆
202337.23299 of 536338.5%★★☆☆☆
202229.23908 of 526425.8%★☆☆☆☆
201967.61300 of 517374.9%★★★★☆
201854.52070 of 508459.3%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202560.61952 of 562865.3%★★★☆☆
202439.23123 of 564344.7%★★☆☆☆
202336.33315 of 563841.2%★★☆☆☆
202232.43580 of 566336.8%★★☆☆☆
201954.22245 of 551059.3%★★★☆☆
201844.82729 of 543149.8%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202530.91920 of 259826.1%★☆☆☆☆
202436.21801 of 265132.1%★★☆☆☆
20237.92523 of 26615.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202211.02502 of 27268.2%☆☆☆☆☆
201938.71892 of 283433.2%★★☆☆☆
201832.32021 of 273726.2%★☆☆☆☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Male (2025)65th percentile+12 vs school
Female (2024)63rd percentile+7 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)59th percentile+5 vs school
White (2025)26th percentile-27 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy45%-3 vs state
Mathematics38%~ state avg
Science18%-15 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Chester Elementary

Chester Elementary ranks 2737th of 5857 California elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students at Chester Elementary are 67% White, 17% Hispanic, 12% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% American Indian.

Students who attend Chester Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Chester Junior/Senior High
High : Portola Junior/Senior High
High : Quincy Junior/Senior High

In the 2024-25 school year, 171 students attended Chester Elementary.

Rate Chester Elementary!



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Schools in Chester, CA

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Latest California data All new data »
2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026
2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026
2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025
2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025


SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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