Best Public Schools in Chester, SD

Summary:

The city of Chester, South Dakota is home to 5 schools that serve students from elementary through high school, all part of the Chester Area School District 39-1. While the district as a whole is ranked 108 out of 147 in the state with a 1-star rating, some individual schools stand out, including Chester High School - 01, which consistently ranks among the top high schools in South Dakota.

Chester High School - 01 has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and strong academic performance, with over 60% of 11th graders proficient in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. The school also boasts a high 4-year graduation rate of 86.4% and a low dropout rate of 2.6%. In contrast, the district's virtual/cyber schools, Chester Area Cyber School - 92 and High Plains - 06, have significantly lower proficiency rates, especially in Mathematics.

Chronic absenteeism is a concern at the elementary and middle school levels, with Chester Elementary -02 and Chester Middle School - 03 both reporting rates over 20%. Additionally, there is significant variation in spending per student and student-teacher ratios across the schools, suggesting potential inequities in resource allocation within the district.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)									Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)									Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2025)				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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 12th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 12th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Chester High School - 01	Public	9-12	102 2nd Ave	Chester	57016	Lake County	Chester Area School District 39-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 489-2411	107	10	10.6	14.0%	102 (95.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.7%)	82.3	18^th of 166 public high schools	89.2%		86.6	12^th of 141 public high schools	91.5%	6							70.3									62.2					64.9		$13,027	$417	$12,610
Chester Elementary -02	Public	PK, KG-5	102 2nd Ave	Chester	57016	Lake County	Chester Area School District 39-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	Yes	(605) 489-2411	154	10	15.4	20.1%	146 (94.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.3%)	64.1	110^th of 300 public elementary schools	63.3%		53.1	101^st of 201 public elementary schools	49.8%	9	57.1	50.0	60.0						55.7	66.7	35.0	70.0						57.4	35.0				$12,218	$1,052	$11,166
Chester Middle School - 03	Public	6-8	102 2nd Ave	Chester	57016	Lake County	Chester Area School District 39-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 489-2411	67	6	11.2	19.4%	62 (92.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.5%)	69.4	54^th of 246 public middle schools	78.0%		49	80^th of 147 public middle schools	45.6%	26				58.3	57.9	75.0			64.2				50.0	31.6	66.7			50.7		41.7			$13,142	$417	$12,725
Chester Area Cyber School - 92	Public, Virtual	9-12	500 5th St	Chester	57016	Lake County	Chester Area School District 39-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(605) 489-2411	106	4	25.1		106 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34.9	122^nd of 166 public high schools	26.5%		32.5	102^nd of 141 public high schools	27.7%	20							62.5	50.0	60.0							6.3	25.0	10.0			31.3	35.0	$10,891	$417	$10,474
High Plains - 06	Public, Virtual	9-12	500 5th St	Chester	57016	Lake County	Chester Area School District 39-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	Yes	No	(605) 489-2411	84	0	700.0	11.9%	79 (94.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.6%)	13.8	153^rd of 166 public high schools	7.8%		6.8	130^th of 141 public high schools	7.8%	23							20.0	42.9	27.3							0.0	0.0	0.0			6.7	9.1	$6,423	$417	$6,006

Cities Near Chester

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Madison	4.94 mi	4	112^th
Montrose	10.95 mi	4	22^nd
Colman	11.5 mi	3	121^st
Colton	11.98 mi	3	82^nd
Rutland	13.62 mi	4	170^th

See the top SD South Dakota cities

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