Chester Middle

Chester Middle is a public middle school located in Chester, South Carolina, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 468 students. The school is part of the Chester 01 District, which is ranked 51 out of 75 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past 10 years, Chester Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom half of South Carolina middle schools, with a ranking between 265-296 out of around 320 schools.

Chester Middle has had very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 22.5% to 40.7% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average. The school's academic performance, as measured by standardized test scores, is also significantly below state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, only 30.4% of 6th graders were proficient in ELA, compared to 56% statewide, and in math, the proficiency rates were even lower, ranging from 10.7% to 15.3% across the grades.

When comparing Chester Middle to nearby schools in the same Chester 01 District and other districts, such as W.C. Sullivan Middle, York Middle, and York Intermediate, the performance gap is quite stark. These other schools consistently outperform Chester Middle across a range of metrics, including test scores, chronic absenteeism, and subgroup performance. Despite the high per-student spending, Chester Middle has not shown any meaningful improvement in its performance over the past 10 years.