School Profile · Chester
Chester Elementary: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Chester posts 40% meeting the standard and 17.1% exceeding it, against 43% and 21.6% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
158 Aspen Street, 96020·Plumas Unified·Chester·Grades K-6·171 students·48% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 258-3194·Website
Scope Score
47
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,866 statewide · #1 of 4 in Plumas Unified
Chester Elementary scores 47 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 64th percentile of 5,230 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “40% proficient” and call it done. Chester deserves a closer read. The school sits in Chester, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
26%
19%
55%
Grade 3 · 45% proficient
13%
13%
74%
Grade 4 · 26% proficient
12%
35%
53%
Grade 5 · 47% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding falls 14.2pp across grades; the floor rises 2.6pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
17.1%
State 21.6%
4.5pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
40.3%
State 42.9%
2.7pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-9.9pp
State -3.0pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
16.5%
State 18.1%
1.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.5%
State 1.7%
0.8pp above state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Chester Elementary
47/100
This school
Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.
Planning ahead? 1 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic17.0%
White66.7%
Asian2.3%
Other14.0%
GenderFemale 46.2%Male 53.8%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
171
309 below CA avg (~480)
Free/Reduced Lunch
48%
16pp below CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
24:1
3 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,903
District avg: $16,243 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$47,167 – $105,455
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Chester Elementary in Chester, 46.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Chester Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 15.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.2% Math proficient); White students (46.8% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 39 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+4.6pp
21.1% vs 16.5% overall · n=38
Suspension · Homeless+5.2pp
7.7% vs 2.5% overall · n=26
1 more gap by subject
Math Exceeded · Low-Income−9.9pp
6.3% vs 16.1% overall · n=16
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income39 tested
ELA 46.2%·Math 28.2%· +15.5pp vs district
White47 tested
ELA 46.8%·Math 44.7%· +9.4pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.
Low-income student ELA proficiency falls by 2.1pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: -3.4pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$50K
$35K below CA median
Median Home Value
$350K
$309K below CA median
Bachelor's+
29%
6pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
10.5 years avg experience
8 teachers · 25% second-year
Teacher Credentials
100% fully credentialed
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
17.1%
↓ vs CA 21.6% · 46th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
40.3%
↓ vs CA 42.9% · 48th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
-9.9pp
↓ vs CA -3.0pp · 82th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
16.5%
↑ vs CA 18.1% · 53th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.5%
↓ vs CA 1.7% · 43th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 27 | 26% | 19% | 33% | 22% | 44% | +1 |
| Grade 4 | 16 | 13% | 13% | 50% | 25% | 25% | −20 |
| Grade 5 | 17 | 12% | 35% | 35% | 18% | 47% | −1 |
| Grade 6 | 26 | 15% | 42% | 23% | 19% | 58% | +11 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 27 | 22% | 30% | 26% | 22% | 52% | +6 |
| Grade 4 | 16 | 19% | 25% | 31% | 25% | 44% | +2 |
| Grade 5 | 17 | 12% | 18% | 53% | 18% | 29% | −6 |
| Grade 6 | 26 | 12% | 15% | 54% | 19% | 27% | −8 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 17 | 6% | 12% | 76% | 6% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 39 | 46.2% | +16 | +8 |
| White | 47 | 46.8% | +9 | −15 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Elementary ← | — | 47 | 17.1% | 40.3% | −9.9 | 2.5% |
| California average | — | 44 | 21.6% | 42.9% | −3.0 | 1.7% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #2483 → #3756 → #4981 → #2410 → #1866
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,230 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Chester Elementary a good elementary school?
Chester Elementary has a Scope Score of 47 out of 100, placing it in the 64th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #1,866 statewide. 17.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.5 percentage points below the California average of 21.6%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Chester Elementary's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 40.3% of students at Chester Elementary met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 17.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 23.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 17.1% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 120 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Chester Elementary rank in California?
Chester Elementary ranks #1,866 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 64th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
Is Chester Elementary getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Chester Elementary decreases by 9.9 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Chester Elementary?
16.5% of students at Chester Elementary are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 18.1%. The suspension rate is 2.5%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Chester Elementary compare to other schools in Chester?
Chester Elementary scores 47/100 (64th percentile) among California elementary schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 171 students. Use the schools in Chester page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Chester Elementary serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Chester Elementary in Chester, 46.2% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.6% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Chester Elementary outperforms its district average for low-income students by 15.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.2% Math proficient); White students (46.8% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 39 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.