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Chester Elementary School

Q: Is Chester Elementary School a good school?

Chester Elementary School ranks 92 nd of 492 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

92^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 492 Connecticut Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of Connecticut elementary schools

Summary

Chester Elementary School is a small, community-focused school in Chester, Connecticut, serving 198 students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade within the Chester School District, which ranks 31st out of 153 Connecticut districts. The school itself holds a 4-star rating and ranks 91st out of 491 elementary schools statewide (81st percentile), placing it comfortably in the top quintile of Connecticut elementary schools. Among nearby schools within a nine-mile radius, only Lyme Consolidated School ranks higher.

Chester's strongest subject is mathematics. In 2025–2026, 83.3% of 5th graders met math proficiency versus 45.8% statewide, and 6th grade math proficiency was 74.3% versus 44.4% statewide. These scores far exceed those of neighboring schools: Deep River Elementary School posted 70.4% in 5th grade math, while Haddam-Killingworth Intermediate School posted just 54.7%. Science is also a standout, with 5th grade proficiency at 81.1% in 2022–2023 compared to the state average of 51%. The school's recent drop from a 5-star to 4-star rating appears tied to normal cohort variation in a small school rather than systemic decline, as absolute test scores remain strong.

Chester also excels at getting students to school. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 4.1% is dramatically lower than the state average of 16.4% and the lowest among nearby schools—Deep River's rate was 7.6%, for example. The school maintains a favorable 9.6:1 student-teacher ratio and spends $23,501 per student, above most regional peers. While 28.3% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, the school sustains high achievement across a moderate economic mix. For parents seeking a well-resourced school with exceptional math outcomes, strong attendance, and a welcoming small-school environment, Chester Elementary stands out as a leading choice in the Connecticut River Valley.

198

Students ?

9.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$30,591

Per pupil spending ?

28.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

Not published

Kindergartners with all required vaccines (2025-26)

23 Ridge Rd.
Chester, CT 06412

(860) 526-5797

District: Chester School District

Students who attend Chester Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	John Winthrop Middle School
High:	Valley Regional High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.4%

Hispanic:

8.6%

Two or more races:

3.0%

See top rated Connecticut elementary schools

Compare Chester Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 77th percentile in 2016 → 81st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Connecticut average (73% vs 50% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Connecticut elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school73%

District avg73%

Connecticut avg50%

92^nd of 492

Connecticut public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to top 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Connecticut Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st of 153Chester School District among Connecticut 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	82.4	92 of 492	81.3%	★★★★☆
2025	81.7	91 of 493	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	90.2	34 of 497	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	88.5	49 of 491	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	90.2	35 of 490	92.9%	★★★★★
2021	86.5	77 of 538	85.7%	★★★★☆
2019	82.8	97 of 522	81.4%	★★★★☆
2018	81.4	109 of 532	79.5%	★★★★☆
2017	85.1	74 of 519	85.7%	★★★★☆
2016	80.0	117 of 518	77.4%	★★★★☆
2015	87.7	55 of 551	90.0%	★★★★★
2013	83.3	39 of 557	93.0%	★★★★★
2012	76.4	133 of 564	76.4%	★★★★☆
2011	78.3	116 of 565	79.5%	★★★★☆
2010	72.0	196 of 579	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	77.3	127 of 566	77.6%	★★★★☆
2008	73.3	180 of 565	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	74.8	158 of 568	72.2%	★★★★☆
2006	74.7	163 of 570	71.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Connecticut percentile	Rating
2026	64.5	99 of 246	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.7	155 of 248	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	70.6	73 of 250	70.8%	★★★★☆
2023	71.8	74 of 262	71.8%	★★★★☆
2022	74.5	63 of 252	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	75.6	76 of 327	76.8%	★★★★☆
2019	66.0	101 of 295	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.2	120 of 296	59.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

White (2026)60th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Connecticut (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics75%+27 vs state

English Language Arts68%+18 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Chester Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NGSS Science (2026)	SBAC English Language Arts (2026)				SBAC Mathematics (2026)				Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NGSS Science 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 3rd Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 4th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 5th Grade	SBAC English Language Arts 6th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 3rd Grade	SBAC Mathematics 4th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 5th Grade	SBAC Mathematics 6th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required vaccines	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Total
Chester Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	23 Ridge Rd.	Chester	06412	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Chester School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 526-5797	198	0	9.6	28.3%	173 (87.4%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.6%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	82.4	92^nd of 492 public elementary schools	81.3%		81.7	91^st of 493 public elementary schools	81.5%	1	516.0	2467.0	66.7	70.8	2610.0	70.6	2494.0	83.3	74.3			$30,591
Deep River Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	12 River St.	Deep River	06417	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Deep River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 526-5319	189	0	9.8	32.3%	165 (87.3%)	1 (0.5%)	19 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	79.3	113^th of 492 public elementary schools	77.0%		77.2	129^th of 493 public elementary schools	73.8%	16	77.8	69.0	56.3	70.4	74.1	72.4	75.0	70.4	2608.0			$32,856
Essex Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	108 Main St.	Centerbrook	06409	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Essex School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 767-8215	307	0	10.3	21.2%	254 (82.7%)	3 (1.0%)	37 (12.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.6%)	74.4	151^st of 492 public elementary schools	69.3%		78.4	121^st of 493 public elementary schools	75.5%	30	510.0	2468.0	58.3	64.5	73.8	73.0	2488.0	2537.0	2575.0	81.1%	2.7%	$27,228
Haddam-Killingworth Intermediate School	Public	4-5	451 Route 81	Killingworth	06419	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 17	No	No	No	No	(860) 663-1241	280	22	12.7	18.6%	250 (89.3%)	4 (1.4%)	13 (4.6%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.6%)	77.3	130^th of 492 public elementary schools	73.6%		73.4	154^th of 493 public elementary schools	68.8%	24	68.8		70.4	72.7			76.8	54.7				$20,736
Burr District Elementary School	Public	K-3	792 Killingworth Road	Higganum	06441	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 17	No	No	No	No	(860) 345-4584	278	26	10.9	20.1%	262 (94.2%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.6%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)								(n/a)		64.0				66.7				98.7%	0%	$26,619
Killingworth Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	340 Route 81	Higganum	06419	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 17	No	No	No	No	(860) 663-1121	257	23	11.1	15.6%	226 (87.9%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.8%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.1%)								(n/a)		63.0				57.4				98%	2%	$27,528
Lyme Consolidated School	Public	PK, KG-5	478 Hamburg Road	Lyme	06371	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Regional School District 18	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 434-1233	226	18	12.6	23.0%	196 (86.7%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.8%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.1%)								(n/a)	528.0	2499.0	2541.0	2607.0		77.5	78.8	2600.0				$24,089
East Haddam Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	45 Joe Williams Rd.	Moodus	06469	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	East Haddam School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 873-5076	340	28	12.1	28.5%	307 (90.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.9%)								(n/a)		62.0				59.5				94.8%	5.2%	$21,196
Lewin G. Joel Junior School	Public	PK, KG-4	137A Glenwood Rd.	Clinton	06413	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Clinton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 664-6501	532	53	10.0	38.5%	364 (68.4%)	4 (0.8%)	133 (25.0%)	13 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.4%)	67.8	189^th of 492 public elementary schools	61.6%		59.4	217^th of 493 public elementary schools	56.0%	28		56.0	64.2			59.3	69.8			96.7%	0%	$21,758
Daisy Ingraham School	Public	PK, KG-5	105 Goodspeed Dr.	Westbrook	06498	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	Westbrook School District	No	No	No	Yes	(860) 399-7925	292	33	8.7	37.3%	204 (69.9%)	2 (0.7%)	73 (25.0%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	71.8	172^nd of 492 public elementary schools	65.0%		66.3	194^th of 493 public elementary schools	60.6%	22	70.2	50.0	71.8	63.8		66.7	69.2	63.8		100%	0%	$28,991

Frequently Asked Questions about Chester Elementary School

How many students attend Chester Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 198 students attended Chester Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Chester Elementary School?

Students at Chester Elementary School are 87% White, 9% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Chester Elementary School a good school?

Chester Elementary School ranks 92^nd of 492 Connecticut elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Chester Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Chester Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : John Winthrop Middle School
High : Valley Regional High School

What district is Chester Elementary School in?

Chester School District

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Latest Connecticut data All new data »

2020–21 through 2023–24 attendance data & graduation rates (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2019–20 graduation rates (updated)NewNov 1, 2026

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2024–25 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesAug 31, 2026

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