Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Illinois rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Chester Elementary School

Q: Is Chester Elementary School a good school?

Chester Elementary School ranks 1287 th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Chester Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 640 students attended Chester Elementary School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Chester Elementary School?

Students at Chester Elementary School are 77% White, 18% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Chester Elementary School attend?

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

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1287^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 26% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Chester Elementary School serves 640 students in prekindergarten through grade 8 in Chester, a southern Illinois community. In 2025–26, 50% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA), compared with 23% in math. Math is the clearest concern: proficiency was 17 percentage points below the state rate, and the result was also 23% in the district.

Compared with nearby schools serving PK–8, Chester ranked third of five in ELA and last of five in math. Its math proficiency was lower than at Evansville Attendance Center (25%), Sparta Lincoln School (28%), Steeleville Elementary School (36%) and Prairie Du Rocher Elementary School (58%). Results vary by subject and grade: fifth-grade science was 53%, 5 points above the state, while eighth-grade science was 34%, 18 points below. ELA was stronger in some upper grades, including seventh grade, where proficiency was 67%, 9 points above the state; third-grade ELA was 24%, 24 points below.

ELA has improved, rising 8 percentage points from 2023–24 to 2025–26, but math remains a concern: its gap with the state widened by 8 points over those years. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking fell from the 57th percentile (3 stars) in 2023–24 to the 26th percentile (1 star) in 2025–26. Its student-group rankings show a different picture for some students: White students ranked at the 9th percentile in 2025–26, down from the 31st percentile in 2023–24, while Special Education Students ranked at the 58th percentile in 2024–25, up from the 19th percentile the year before. As context, the 2024–25 student-teacher ratio was 13.0, and 59% of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

640

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,062

Per pupil spending ?

59.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

93.8%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

650 Opdyke St
Chester, IL 62233-1419

(618) 826-2354

District: Chester CUSD 139

Students who attend Chester Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Chester High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.3%

Hispanic:

18.3%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Chester Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 42nd percentile in 2016 → 26th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Illinois average (40% vs 49% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school40%

District avg40%

Illinois avg49%

Elementary school

1,287^th of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 42% (2016) to bottom 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

813^th of 1,126

Illinois public middle schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 34 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

625^th of 738Chester CUSD 139 among Illinois districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	1287 of 1737	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	37.0	1276 of 2056	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.7	898 of 2067	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.2	897 of 2077	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.5	924 of 2082	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.6	841 of 1948	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.4	1142 of 2086	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.7	1186 of 2037	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.2	1213 of 2044	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	38.9	1196 of 2046	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.3	1281 of 2052	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	29.7	1542 of 2093	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	30.9	1574 of 2167	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.9	1553 of 2166	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.8	1561 of 2147	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	54.8	1172 of 2139	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.3	1122 of 2120	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.3	1359 of 2092	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	42.5	1459 of 2095	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	43.7	1426 of 2086	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	41.7	1391 of 2022	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	46.6	1271 of 2030	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2003	58.1	1037 of 2020	48.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	30.0	731 of 1049	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.0	651 of 886	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	20.6	1063 of 1286	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.1	1231 of 1942	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.0	873 of 1942	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	843 of 1957	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.3	847 of 1970	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.3	864 of 1680	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.4	1011 of 2019	49.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.9	1117 of 1964	43.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	41.8	565 of 982	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.9	333 of 959	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.4	666 of 970	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	16.3	919 of 954	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	52.8	253 of 742	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	40.0	585 of 1001	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	46.7	950 of 1800	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.5	536 of 1793	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	68.5	375 of 1808	79.3%	★★★★☆
2022	53.2	701 of 1763	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.0	350 of 1514	76.9%	★★★★☆
2019	55.4	668 of 1816	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.2	922 of 1765	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	33.5	881 of 1311	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.2	1134 of 1947	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.2	788 of 1959	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.7	840 of 1984	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.5	909 of 1977	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.9	656 of 1707	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.8	1136 of 2019	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.7	1124 of 1972	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	49.1	544 of 1292	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	24.0	972 of 1195	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.8	318 of 640	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.5	698 of 1194	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.0	294 of 763	61.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	14.1	1051 of 1149	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.4	1208 of 1389	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.1	963 of 1392	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	950 of 1419	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.0	968 of 1425	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.3	822 of 1308	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.5	1100 of 1462	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	1135 of 1463	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	28.2	813 of 1126	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	33.7	883 of 1368	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.5	678 of 1363	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.6	558 of 1367	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.2	498 of 1369	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.9	533 of 1241	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.3	561 of 1356	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.7	595 of 1293	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	52.2	554 of 1293	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.9	492 of 1294	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	55.5	480 of 1302	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	51.6	663 of 1322	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.0	668 of 1367	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.6	718 of 1365	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	57.3	666 of 1344	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	71.1	402 of 1327	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.8	377 of 1318	71.4%	★★★★☆
2008	67.0	474 of 1293	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	62.2	566 of 1287	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	62.3	536 of 1272	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	63.0	535 of 1209	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2004	53.9	652 of 1204	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2003	48.5	691 of 1185	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	45.2	300 of 694	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	40.2	321 of 639	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	10.9	483 of 483	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	31.2	614 of 867	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.8	872 of 1248	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.7	585 of 1251	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.3	651 of 1275	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	56.3	450 of 1286	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.2	505 of 1017	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.9	508 of 1276	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.4	598 of 1226	51.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	14.1	643 of 669	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	516 of 643	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.4	454 of 661	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	31.4	567 of 788	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.8	721 of 1229	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.6	597 of 1219	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.3	264 of 1234	78.6%	★★★★☆
2022	64.9	291 of 1221	76.2%	★★★★☆
2021	58.9	291 of 1019	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	57.3	425 of 1217	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.3	374 of 1161	67.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	31.4	565 of 829	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.6	745 of 1271	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.5	672 of 1264	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.9	397 of 1292	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.5	492 of 1286	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.0	449 of 1048	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.5	556 of 1296	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.8	540 of 1223	55.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	449 of 812	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.3	541 of 802	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.8	734 of 781	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	37.4	309 of 548	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.0	234 of 792	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	57.9	158 of 602	73.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	21.1	628 of 754	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.4	749 of 884	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	621 of 875	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.8	557 of 895	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.2	498 of 898	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.4	527 of 813	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.7	553 of 905	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.9	573 of 889	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Special Education (2025)58th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)42nd percentile+16 vs school

Male (2026)33rd percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2025)30th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2026)17th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)9th percentile-17 vs school

Middle school

Disabled (2025)57th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2025)45th percentile+9 vs school

Male (2026)32nd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)29th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)28th percentile~ school

White (2026)17th percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)4th percentile-32 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)<1st percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts50%-7 vs state

Science43%-6 vs state

Mathematics23%-17 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Chester Elementary School and help other families decide.

Rate Chester Elementary School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Chester Elementary School

Load more schools when map is moved

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)				ISA Science (2026)		IAR English Language Arts (2026)							IAR Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Chester Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	650 Opdyke St	Chester	62233	Randolph County	Chester CUSD 139	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 826-2354	640	49	13.0	59.2%	495 (77.3%)	3 (0.5%)	117 (18.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.1%)	24.3	1287^th of 1737 public elementary schools	25.9%		37	1276^th of 2056 public elementary schools	37.9%	11	52.6	34.3	23.7	47.6	57.9	40.7	66.7	67.1	49.7	15.8	39.7	21.1	18.5	24.1	20.0	23.0	93.8%		$15,062	$1,765	$13,297
Steeleville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	609 S Sparta St	Steeleville	62288	Randolph County	Steeleville CUSD 138	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 965-3469	323	21	15.2	43.0%	285 (88.2%)	2 (0.6%)	22 (6.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.0%)	48.9	854^th of 1737 public elementary schools	50.8%		26.9	1513^th of 2056 public elementary schools	26.4%	659		40.0	53.6	67.6	40.6	57.1	39.0	54.3	51.9	53.6	51.4		40.0	26.8	28.6	36.1	97.6%		$12,694	$1,230	$11,464
Trico Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	16343 Highway 4	Campbell Hill	62916	Jackson County	Trico CUSD 176	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 426-1111	477	31	15.3	68.1%	377 (79.0%)	2 (0.4%)	83 (17.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.9%)	33.5	1127^th of 1737 public elementary schools	35.1%		37.9	1254^th of 2056 public elementary schools	39.0%	127	52.2		51.4	56.5	50.7				53.1	40.3	27.1	15.9				27.9	98.7%		$14,892	$2,106	$12,786
Evansville Attendance Center	Public	K-8	701 Oak St	Evansville	62242	Randolph County	Sparta CUSD 140	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 853-4411	109	11	9.9	21.1%	106 (97.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)									41.7							25.0	96.2%		$17,637	$841	$16,796
Sparta Lincoln School	Public	PK, KG-8	203A Dean Ave	Sparta	62286	Randolph County	Sparta CUSD 140	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 443-5331	735	53	13.8	65.6%	516 (70.2%)	115 (15.6%)	19 (2.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (11.3%)	22.6	1324^th of 1737 public elementary schools	23.8%		37.8	1257^th of 2056 public elementary schools	38.9%	67	38.2	59.2	28.2	47.3	40.8	52.4	65.2	58.4	48.6	45.1	32.4	13.2	27.0	35.3	17.1	28.0	98.6%		$14,390	$841	$13,549
Prairie Du Rocher Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	714 Middle St	Prairie Du Rocher	62277	Randolph County	Prairie Du Rocher CCSD 134	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(618) 284-3530	114	9	12.3	43.9%	112 (98.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)								(n/a)							76.9	76.9	65.2		71.4					57.6	96.6%		$16,785	$357	$16,429

Frequently Asked Questions about Chester Elementary School

What district is Chester Elementary School in?

Chester CUSD 139

How many students attend Chester Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 640 students attended Chester Elementary School.

Is Chester Elementary School a good school?

Chester Elementary School ranks 1287^th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Chester Elementary School attend?

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

High : Chester High School

What is the racial makeup of Chester Elementary School?

Students at Chester Elementary School are 77% White, 18% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Rate Chester Elementary School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

ILIllinois Elementary School Rankings

ILIllinois District Rankings

Schools in Chester, IL

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Chester Elementary School!

Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board 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.