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Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 57016

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the South Dakota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the South Dakota Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

School

Students

Top rankedChester Middle School - 0354^th of 246 South Dakota middle schools

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Biggest riser

Chester Middle School - 03 up 26 spots statewide this year

See the top-ranked South Dakota schools →

Summary:

The 57016 zip code is home to a single standout middle school, Chester Middle School - 03, which serves grades 6-8 and is part of the Chester Area School District 39-1. This school has consistently ranked in the top half of South Dakota middle schools, reaching as high as 54th out of 246 schools in the 2024-2025 school year, and its performance on standardized assessments exceeds both district and state averages.

Chester Middle School - 03 stands out for its strong academic performance, with 75% of 8th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 66.67% in Mathematics. The school's chronic absenteeism rate of 20.2% in 2024-2025 is also lower than the state average, indicating strong student engagement. Additionally, the school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.7 and spends $12,905 per student, which is higher than the state average.

While the school's performance is impressive, the relatively low percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients at 15.94% suggests the student population may be more affluent, potentially raising questions about equity and access for students from lower-income backgrounds. Nevertheless, Chester Middle School - 03 appears to be providing a high-quality education to its students and is a standout institution in the region.

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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 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 (2025)	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 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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

Cities Near Zip Code 57016

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Chester	3.87 mi	4	95^th
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

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.