Summary:
Schools in ZIP code 57016 include five schools serving 475 students: two elementary schools, one middle school and two high schools. Enrollment ranges from 41 students at Rustic Acres Colony Elementary - 04 to 154 at Chester Elementary -02. The clearest contrast is between Chester Middle School - 03 and Rustic Acres: their current all-grades results differ by 34 percentage points in English language arts (ELA) and 40 points in math. Results vary sharply across schools, especially in math.
Chester Middle stands out among schools with reported all-grades results, scoring 62% in ELA and 49% in math, compared with state results of 49% and 44%. Chester Elementary is close to the state in both subjects, at 48% in ELA and 44% in math. Rustic Acres is lowest, at 29% in ELA and 10% in math—20 and 34 points below the state, respectively. Among the high schools, 11th-grade SD ACT ELA proficiency is 22% at Chester High School - 01 and 19% at Chester Area Colony High School - 08, versus 48% statewide. Chester High’s graduation rate is 76%, compared with 88% statewide; the Colony school’s is 20%.
Recent results are mixed: from 2024–25 to 2025–26, Chester Elementary fell 8 points in ELA and 13 in math; Chester Middle declined 2 points in each, while Rustic Acres rose 4 points in ELA but fell 7 in math. SchoolDigger ranks Chester Middle 55th of 151 schools (64th percentile), Chester Elementary 137th of 203 (33rd percentile), and Chester High 128th of 130 (2nd percentile). In 2024–25, student-teacher ratios were 11.2 at Chester Middle and 10.6 at Chester High; free/reduced lunch eligible rates were 19% and 14%, respectively. These figures offer context, not an explanation for school results. One notable contrast is Rustic Acres’ 2% chronic absenteeism in 2025–26, far below the 20% state rate, despite its low test results.
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