Information about the Student/Staff Ratios Data
Overview of the Student/Staff Ratios data, including data sources, DataQuest reports, downloadable files, definitions, and other information helpful to understanding the data, reports, and downloadable files.Topic Summary
Overview
Data Sources and Timelines
Overview of the DataQuest Reports
Overview of the Downloadable Data File
Staff Data Definitions
Staff Data Considerations
Overview
In response to requests from educators, policy makers, and stakeholders across the state, the California Department of Education (CDE) has developed the DataQuest Certificated Student/Staff Ratios report and supporting downloadable data file to provide important information about California’s K–12 educators. Specifically, these data provide student/staff ratios as of Census Day disaggregated by staff type, academic year, and school grade span. These data are also available at multiple reporting levels, including at the state, county, district, and school levels.
Data Sources and Timelines
The DataQuest Student/Staff Ratios data utilizes information about students and staff submitted to the CDE by local educational agencies (LEAs) through the annual California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Fall 1 and Fall 2 data submissions, respectively. LEAs submit, review, and certify these data in CALPADS between October and February each year. When the annual CALPADS Fall 1 and Fall 2 submissions close, the CDE extracts the necessary staff data and compiles this information for the DataQuest Student/Staff Ratios report and data file for the related academic year.
Overview of the DataQuest Reports
The following statewide Student/Staff Ratios reports are publicly available on DataQuest for multiple academic years:
These reports are also available at the county-, district-, and school-levels.
Using the Student/Staff Ratios Reports
Similar to other DataQuest reports, the Student/Staff Ratios reports include expandable (+) Report Description, (+) Report Glossary, and (+) Report Options and Filters sections at the top of each report. Within the expandable (+) Report Options and Filters sections, users will find the following subsections that include useful report options and data filters:
- Report Selection: Within this area, users can select different Student/Staff Ratios reports, select a county, district, or school, and change the report year.
- Report Filters: Within this area, users can apply a variety of school type filters (i.e., charter/non-charter and alternative/regular schools), staff type, school grade span, and staff gender filters. Additionally, users can apply one or more filters simultaneously, allowing users to obtain student/staff ratios in multiple user-defined parameters. Applied filters are viewable in the "Filtered Enabled" section above each report where the filters can also be reset. The CDE has also incorporated a "parameterization" feature into the Student/Staff Ratios report, which will allow users to share a link to a filtered report.
Charter School Filters
Charter school data are removed by default from all district-level DataQuest Student/Staff Ratios reports. To include charter school data in district-level reports, select the "Reset Filters" button on district-level reports to show data for "All Schools" OR select the desired School Type filter (i.e., All Schools, Charter Schools, or Non-Charter Schools) from within the expandable Report Options and Filters menu on the DataQuest Student/Staff Ratios report. Results produced using the School Type report filter on these reports is based on the charter school status at the beginning of the academic year.
Note: The "Non-Charter" default filter view is ONLY applicable to district-level reports and associated "Report Totals”; however, it is NOT applicable to reports or "Report Totals" for other levels (i.e., state-, county-, or school-level reports)
Alternative School Filters
Results produced using the Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) report filter on the DataQuest Student/Staff Ratios reports are designed to facilitate comparisons for traditional charter and non-charter schools by allowing for the removal of alternative schools, which generally serve "high-risk" student populations. For more information regarding the current DASS school accountability can be found at Dashboard Alternative School Status.
Overview of the Downloadable Data File
The following Student/Staff Ratios downloadable data file is publicly available on the CDE website for multiple academic years:
These files include state-, county-, district-, and school-level student/staff ratio data for multiple academic years by staff type, academic year, and school grade span. Information about the data elements included in these files and how the data are structured is included in the Student/Staff Ratios File Structure web page. For detailed examples on how to properly use the data, please refer to the "Using Student/Staff Ratios Data File" information provided on the file structure web page.
Data Definitions
In addition to the DataQuest Student/Staff Ratios report description and glossary, the following definitions provide users with information about the data reporting categories, data processing, and data use:
School Grade Span
For these staff reports, the School Grade Span is a summary of the lowest and highest K–12 grade levels offered by a school as reported to the CDE through the OPUS-CDS system and reported in the California School Directory.
- Grades K–6: Includes data for schools where the lowest and highest grades offered are grades 6 or less, inclusive (e.g., grades K–1, grades K–6, grades 1–5, grade 6).
- Grades 6–9: Includes data for schools where the lowest grades offered are grades 6–8, inclusive, and the highest grades offered are grades 7–9, inclusive (e.g., grades 6–8, grades 7–9).
- Grades 9–12: Includes data for schools where the lowest grades offered are grades 9–11, inclusive, and the highest grades offered are grades 9–12, inclusive (e.g., grade 9, grades 9–10, grades 10–12, grade 12).
- Grades K–12 Other: Includes data for schools where the lowest grades offered are grades K–8, inclusive, and the highest grades offered are grades 7–12, inclusive (e.g., grades K–12, grades K–8, grades 1–12, grades 6–12, grades 8–9, grades 7–12.
Please Note: Since transitional kindergarten (TK) is the first year of a two-year kindergarten (K) program (see Education Code section 48000(d)), all School Grade Spans inclusive of Grade K (i.e., K–6 and K–12), also include TK when offered.
Staff Full-Time Equivaleny (FTE)
The total “full-time equivalent” or FTE of the following certificated Staff Type positions: Teachers, Administrators, Pupil Services, and other Non-Instructional Support staff. The FTE is defined as the percentage of time spent working in the applicable certificated staff position in relation to a full-time staff position (100 percent or 1.0 FTE). Employees who work full-time are generally counted as 1.0 FTE, and employees who work less than full-time are counted by the percentage of time they work (e.g., a half-time position is .50 FTE, a one-third position is .33 FTE, etc.). The certificated Staff FTE represents the denominator in the Student/Staff Ratio calculation.
Staff Type
The following certificated staff types are included in these staff reports:
- Administrator: A staff member (employee) who holds a position at a school or district with a non-classroom-based support assignment that requires certification to provide administrative services, but who is not required to provide direct instruction or direct services to pupils. The administrative staff included in these data have a Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) assigned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and their staff assignment and demographic data are reported through the California Longitudinal Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Administrators also include a limited number of non-certificated staff members who have been waived from the requirement of having to possess an administrative services credential but who still have a valid and active SEID.
Administrators have non-classroom-based, support assignments that include, but are not limited to, the following: Superintendent, Deputy or Associate Superintendent, Principal, Vice Principal or Associate/Assistant Principal, Charter School Administrator or Director, Administrator – Program Coordinator, Administrator – Staff Development, Administrator – Other, Child Welfare and Attendance Supervisor, Special Education Case Manager (non-instructional), or Teacher Induction Program Coordinator.
- Non-Instructional Support: A staff member (employee) who holds a position at a school or district with a non-classroom-based (non-instructional) support assignment that requires certification or other state alternatives and whose duties do not involve providing direct instruction to the pupils in the school(s). The non-instructional support staff included in these data have a Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) assigned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and their staff assignment and demographic data are reported through the California Longitudinal Achievement Data System (CALPADS).
Non-instructional support staff have non-classroom-based or support assignments that include, but are not limited to, the following: Mentor Teacher, Peer Assistance and Review, Other Certificated non-instructional assignment, Non-Instructional Teacher Librarian, Teacher on Special Assignment, Special Education Case Manager (non-instructional), Program Coordinator – School Site Level, and Department chair.
- Pupil Services: A staff member (employee) who holds a position at a school or district with a non-classroom-based support assignment that requires a standard designated services credential or a health and development credential and who provides direct services to pupils. The pupil services staff included in these data must have a Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) assigned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and their staff assignment and demographic data are reported through the California Longitudinal Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Pupil services staff also include various program specialists as defined in Education Code Section 56368.
Pupil services staff have non-classroom-based, support assignments that include, but are not limited to, the following: Psychologist, Psychometrist, Counselor, Social Worker, Nurse, Speech–Language Pathologist, Audiologist, Physical Therapist, Vision Therapist, Rehabilitation Counselor, DIS, Medical/Nursing Services, Occupational Therapist, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Deaf or Hard of Hearing Interpreter, Child Welfare and Attendance Supervisor, Other medical professional, and Other Certificated non-instructional assignments.
- Teacher: A staff member (employee) who holds a position at a school or district with a classroom-based (instructional) teaching assignment that requires certification or other state alternative and whose duties require providing direct instruction to the pupils in the school(s). The teaching staff included in these data have a Statewide Educator Identifier (SEID) assigned by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and their staff assignment and demographic data are reported through the California Longitudinal Achievement Data System (CALPADS).
Teaching staff have classroom-based instructional assignments that include, but are not limited to, the following: Teacher, Mentor Teacher, Instructional Teacher Librarian, Itinerant Teacher, Pull-Out/Push-In Teacher, and in some cases Long-Term Substitute Teacher.
Please Note: Certificated staff may have assignments in more than one staff type category. For example, an individual might be both an administrator and a teacher within the same school or district. Alternatively, an individual might be a teacher in two schools within a district, or across multiple districts. For these reasons, the staff counts are unduplicated within each reporting level (e.g., state, county, district, and school), within each staff type, and within any of the other data disaggregation categories.
Student Enrollment Data
The total TK/K–12 student enrollment as of Census Day (the first Wednesday in October) as reported and certified by LEAs in the annual CALPADS Fall 1 data submission.
Please Note: The Total Student Enrollment provided in the Student/Staff Ratios data will sometimes be LESS THAN the "official" total student enrollment at a particular entity level (i.e., state, county, district, or school). This is because schools are excluded from the Student/Staff Ratios reports/files if they report student enrollment data in CALPADS Fall 1, but do not or did not report staff data in the annual CALPADS Fall 2 data submission (e.g., non-public sectarian schools, preschools, or schools that failed to certify the CALPADS Fall 2 submission). For this reason, users should NOT use the student enrollment data provided in the Student/Staff Ratios reports/files for purposes relating to student enrollment, such as citing annual statewide enrollment counts. Instead, users should use the Annual Enrollment data.
Student/Staff Ratios
The student/staff ratio measures the number of students per certificated staff FTE position at a selected reporting entity or level. The following is a list of the specific student/staff ratios calculated for the DataQuest Student/Staff Ratios reports and supporting data files:
- Student/Teacher Ratio: The student/teacher ratio measures the number of students per certificated teacher FTE at an entity (e.g., school, district, county, or state). The student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled at an entity on Census Day by the total certificated teacher FTE at an entity on Census Day. A school with 200 students and 8.0 Teacher FTE would have a student/teacher ratio of 25, 25:1, 25 to 1, or 25 students per each 1.0 Teacher FTE position.
- Student/Administrator Ratio: The student/administrator ratio measures the number of students per certificated administrator FTE at an entity (e.g., school, district, county, or state). The student/administrator ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled at an entity on Census Day by the total certificated administrator FTE at an entity on Census Day. A school with 200 students and 1.25 Administrator FTE would have a student/administrator ratio of 133.3, 133.3:1, 133.3 to 1, or 133 students per each 1.0 Administrator FTE position.
- Student/Pupil Services Ratio: The student/pupil services ratio measures the number of students per certificated pupil services FTE at an entity (e.g., school, district, county, or state). The student/pupil services ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled at an entity on Census Day by the total certificated pupil services FTE at an entity on Census Day. A school with 200 students and 2.0 Pupil Services FTE would have a student/pupil services ratio of 100, 100:1, 100 to 1, or 100 students per each 1.0 Pupil Services FTE position.
- Student/Non-Instructional Support Ratio: The student/non-instructional support ratio measures the number of students per certificated non-instructional support FTE at an entity (e.g., school, district, county, or state). The student/non-instructional support ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled at an entity on Census Day by the total certificated non-instructional support FTE at an entity on Census Day. A school with 200 students and 1.0 Non-Instructional Support FTE would have a student/non-instructional support ratio of 200, 200:1, 200 to 1, or 200 students per each 1.0 Non-Instructional Support FTE position.
Data Considerations
The staff data may include small N-sizes. Therefore, the CDE urges caution when comparing percentages, ratios, or other calculations based on small N-sizes, which may negatively impact data reliability. Additionally, for student/staff ratios data, an asterisk (*) is displayed whenever (1) the numerator (Student Enrollment) equals 0 or (2) the denominator (Staff FTE) is less than 1.0 FTE. Data are not included for districts and independently reporting charter schools (IRCs) that did not certify their California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Fall 2 submission.
Additionally, the Total Student Enrollment provided in the Student/Staff Ratios reports will sometimes be LESS THAN the "official" total student enrollment at a particular entity level (i.e., state, county, district, or school). This is because schools are excluded from the Student/Staff Ratios reports/files if they report student enrollment data in CALPADS Fall 1, but do not or did not report staff data in the annual CALPADS Fall 2 data submission (e.g., non-public sectarian schools, preschools, or schools that failed to certify the CALPADS Fall 2 submission). For this reason, users should NOT use the student enrollment data provided in the Student/Staff Ratios reports/files for purposes relating to student enrollment, such as citing annual statewide enrollment counts. Instead, users should use the Annual Enrollment data.