2026 Compare Cities Education:
Chester, VA vs Gaithersburg, MD

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Highlights
- Gaithersburg spends 54.7% more per student than Chester.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 9.4% lower in Gaithersburg than in Chester. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Gaithersburg had 3.5% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Chester
 Chester, VAGaithersburg, MDUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$19,736$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$10,033  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$10,703$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.05  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock4904573
 Students per Counselor305  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock7.0%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.3.4%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock88.4%88.9%
 Some College Educ.19.9%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock5.8%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.32.5%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock16.8%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.9%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock5.4%1.5%
Reviews for Chester    6 Reviews

I just recently discovered a little suburb of Richmond, called Chester. Yes, it is small and not much going on in that area - but if you want a peaceful area to live -  More

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I grew up in Chester and it really isn't a bad place to live if you like living in a very populated area. It has great schools, low crime, easy access to both Richmond  More

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Chester, because of its location midway between Richmond, VA and Petersburg, VA, was once just a train station. With residential growth in affluent Chesterfield County  More

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Reviews for Gaithersburg    10 Reviews

We recently sold our family home of 20+ years in Potomac, MD and moved just down the road to Gaithersburg. We have nothing but good things to say about the people  More

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Over 11 years ago

The city of Gaithersburg offers all of the employment opportunities of being within commuting range of D.C. without the congestion. Homes are more affordable and you  More

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The state has the potential to be a great place to live ... but that 'Reality’ is just slipping away. The current leadership has done a really bang-up job creating so  More

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