Chester Elem School, Chester IL - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Chester Elem School

Chester Elem School serves preK through grade eight, making it an elementary and junior high combined in a small county-seat city on the Mississippi River. The school enrolls a modest population of students across ten grade levels, with the largest classes in grades six and seven and smaller cohorts in the upper grades.

The student body is predominantly White, with a minority population that includes a substantial share of Hispanic students and smaller numbers of Black and multiracial students. Enrollment data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and English learner status are not available from the school's reporting. The district recently opened a dedicated Early Childhood Center in 2025 with full-day preschool classrooms, separating PreK education from the main building.

Academic performance across tested grades shows consistent challenges in mathematics and science. In math, proficiency rates range from the mid-teens to mid-thirties across grades three through eight, with the highest proficiency in grade three and notably weak performance in grades five, six, and eight. English language arts proficiency is higher, particularly in grade seven where about three-fifths of students reach proficiency, but drops significantly in grades six and eight. Science proficiency in grades five and eight falls in the low-to-mid thirties. When compared against other districts in Randolph County on an overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades, Chester Elem falls below the county midpoint.

Among the ten districts that serve Randolph County, Chester Elem's overall proficiency index places it below where the typical county district performs. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly regarding what support structures exist for students who are not yet proficient and what specific interventions are in place for the lower-performing grade levels and subjects.

The school's test participation rates are very high across all grades and subjects, typically in the mid-to-high nineties, showing that nearly all enrolled students are being assessed. The school itself is not Title I designated, though free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not provided, so the actual economic profile of the enrollment remains unclear from available reporting. Special education and English learner population counts are also not published.

The school building is located at 650 Opdyke Street in Chester, a city experiencing modest population decline with a mixed economic base centered on food manufacturing, state institutional employment, and healthcare. Housing values in the area are modest and stable, and the town's character is that of a walkable historic downtown grid mixed with sparse suburban single-family residential neighborhoods. For families already situated in Chester or relocating to the area, Chester Elem is the elementary and junior high option; there is no choice within the district.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 27%

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 4 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 49%

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 21 pts below state median

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 60%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 18 pts below state median

Science

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 12 pts below state median

This schoolChester CUSD 139, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.