File Structure: Directory Export

Definitions for all of the elements that are available for exporting from the School Directory.

General Information

Field Name Field Type Description
Record Type
Character
Indicates which type of entity is included in the row (district or school).
CDS Code
Character
This 14-digit code is the official, unique identification of a school within California. The first two digits identify the county, the next five digits identify the school district, and the last seven digits identify the school.
Please note that a CDS code ending in '0000000' indicates a district record not a school.
Federal District ID
Character
This field represents the 7-digit National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) school district identification number. The first 2 digits identify the state and the last 5 digits identify the school district. Combined, they make a unique 7-digit ID for each school district.
Federal School ID
Character
This field represents the 5-digit NCES school identification number. The federal school ID combined with the federal district ID form a unique 12-digit ID for each school.
Federal Charter District ID
Character
This field represents the 7-digit NCES school district identification number for direct funded charter schools. Beginning in February 2019, direct funded charter schools were issued their own federal district ID and should no longer use the federal district ID associated with their authorizing agency.
County
Character
County name.
District
Character
District or Administrative Authority name.
School
Character
School name.
Status
Character
This field identifies the entity's status. Definitions of the valid status types are listed below:
  • Active: The entity is in operation and providing instructional services.
  • Closed: The entity is not in operation and no longer providing instructional services.
  • Merged: The entity has combined with another entity.
  • Pending: The entity has not opened for operation and instructional services yet, but plans to open within the next 12 months.
For private schools, the status is determined based on the private school affidavit (PSA) filing. Upon initial PSA filing the school will be given an active status. At the end of the school year in which the private school does not file a PSA, the school will be given a status of closed.
Open Date
Date
The date the school opened. For private schools this is the date the school initially filed a private school affidavit (PSA).
Closed Date
Date
The date the school closed. For private schools, most schools will be closed out at the end of the following school year after their last filed PSA. For example, if a private school last filed a PSA on 10/3/2018 and they do not file a PSA for the 2019-20 school year, their closed date would be 06/30/2020.
Charter Yes/No
Character
This field identifies a charter school. The field is coded as follows:
  • Y = The school is a charter
  • N = The school is not a charter
This field only applies to public schools.
Charter Number
Character
The charter school number, which is a 4-digit number assigned to a charter school by the Charter School Division after approval from the State Board of Education.
This field only applies to public schools.
Funding Type
Character
Indicates the charter school funding type. Values are as follows:
  • Not in CS funding model
  • Locally funded
  • Directly funded
This field only applies to public schools.
Educational Program Type
Character
The Educational Program Type identifies the type of educational program offered at the school.
For public schools the types consist of:
  • Alternative School of Choice
  • County Community School
  • Community Day School
  • Continuation School
  • Juvenile Court School
  • Opportunity School
  • Youth Authority School
  • State Special School
  • Special Education School
  • Traditional
  • Regional Occupational Program
  • Home and Hospital
  • District Consortia Special Education School
For private schools the types consist of:
  • Traditional
  • Nonpublic Nonsectarian School (NPS)
Entity Type
Character
The entity type identifies the district or school type. This is also referred to as the ownership code/type.
For districts, the types consist of:
  • County Office of Education
  • State Board of Education
  • Statewide Benefit Charter
  • State Special Schools
  • Non-school Location*
  • Elementary School District
  • Unified School District
  • High School District
  • Regional Occupational Center/Program (ROC/P)
*Only the California Education Authority has been included in the non-school location category.
For public schools, the types consist of:
  • Preschool
  • Special Education Schools (Public)
  • County Community
  • Youth Authority Facilities (CEA)
  • Opportunity Schools
  • Juvenile Court Schools
  • Other County or District Programs
  • State Special Schools
  • Elementary School (Public)
  • Elementary School in 1 School District (Public)
  • Intermediate/Middle Schools (Public)
  • Alternative Schools of Choice
  • Junior High Schools (Public)
  • K-12 Schools (Public)
  • High Schools (Public)
  • High Schools in 1 School District (Public)
  • Continuation High Schools
  • District Community Day Schools
  • Adult Education Centers
  • Regional Occupational Center/Program (ROC/P)
For private schools, the types consist of:
  • Elementary School (Private)
  • High Schools (Private)
  • K-12 Schools (Private)
  • Kindergarten (Private)
  • Ungraded Schools (Private)
Low Grade
Character
The lowest grade offered or supported by the school, district, or administrative authority.
High Grade
Character
The highest grade offered or supported by the school, district, or administrative authority.
Virtual Instruction Type
Character
This field identifies the type of virtual instruction offered by the school. Virtual instruction is instruction in which students and teachers are separated by time and/or location, and interaction occurs via computers and/or telecommunications technologies. The field is coded as follows:
  • F = Exclusively Virtual – The school has no physical building where students meet with each other or with teachers, all instruction is virtual.
  • V = Primarily Virtual – The school focuses on a systematic program of virtual instruction but includes some physical meetings among students or with teachers.
  • C = Primarily Classroom – The school offers virtual courses but virtual instruction is not the primary means of instruction.
  • N = Not Virtual – The school does not offer any virtual instruction.
  • P = Partial Virtual – The school offers some, but not all, instruction through virtual instruction. Note: This value was retired and replaced with the Primarily Virtual and Primarily Classroom values beginning with the 2016–17 school year.
This field only applies to public schools.
Magnet Yes/No
Character
This field identifies whether a school is a magnet school and/or provides a magnet program. Additional information on magnet schools may be obtained from the CDE Magnets web page. The field is coded as follows:
  • Y = Magnet - The school is a magnet school and/or offers a magnet program.
  • N = Not Magnet - The school is not a magnet school and/or does not offer a magnet program.
Note: This field only applies to public schools. Preschools and adult education centers do not contain a magnet school indicator.
Year Round Yes/No
Character
This field indicates if the school is operating on a year round calendar. More information about year-round education can be found by visiting the CDE Year-Round Education Program Guide web page.
This field only applies to public schools.
Multilingual Yes/No
Character
This field indicates whether or not the school offers a multilingual program*. A “multilingual instructional program” is an educational program designed to provide instruction to students which leads to linguistic and/or academic proficiency in one or more languages, in addition to English.
Schools with 10 or more students enrolled in any of the following programs are reported as offering a multilingual program.
  • Developmental Bilingual Program
  • Dual-Language Immersion Program
  • Heritage or Indigenous Language
  • One-Way Immersion Program
  • Transitional Bilingual Program
This field only applies to public K-12 schools.
*The logic for identifying multilingual schools was update in January 2023 to exclude Newcomer Programs, Structured English Immersion Programs, or other predominantly English Language Instructional Models, as well as schools with fewer than 10 students in the above mentioned programs.
Website
Character
The website address of the school, district, or administrative authority.
Latitude
Decimal
The angular distance (expressed in degrees) between the location of the school, district, or administrative authority and the equator measured north to south.
Longitude
Decimal
The angular distance (expressed in degrees) between the location of the school, district, or administrative authority and the prime meridian (Greenwich, England) measured from west to east.
LastUpDate
Date
The date the record was last updated.

Address and Phone

Field Name Field Type Description
Street Address
Character
The street (physical) address of this school, district, or administrative authority. Note: Some entities (primarily closed or retired schools) may not have data in this field.
Street City
Character
The city where the school, district, or administrative authority is physically located. Note: Some records (primarily records of closed or retired schools) may not have data in this field.
Street Zip
Character
The zip code associated with the street address of the school, district, or administrative authority’s physical location. Note: Some records (primarily records of closed or retired schools) may not have data in this field.
Street State
Character
The state in which the school, district, or administrative authority is located.
Mailing Address
Character
The mailing address of the school, district, or administrative authority (i.e., P.O. Box). Note: 1) Some entities (primarily closed or retired schools) may not have data in this field; 2) Many active entities have not provided a mailing street address. For your convenience we have filled the unpopulated MailStreet cells with Street data.
Mailing City
Character
The city associated with the mailing address of the school, district, or administrative authority. Note: Many entities have not provided a mailing address city. For your convenience we have filled the unpopulated MailCity cells with City data.
Mailing Zip
Character
The zip code associated with the mailing address of the school, district, or administrative authority. Note: Many entities have not provided a mailing address zip code. For your convenience we have filled the unpopulated MailZip cells with Zip data.
Mailing State
Character
The state within the mailing address. For your convenience we have filled the unpopulated MailState cells with State data.
Phone
Character
The area code and phone number of the school, district, or administrative authority.
Phone Extension
Character
The phone number extension of the school, district, or administrative authority.
Fax Number
Character
The fax number of the school, district, or administrative authority.
Email
Character
The email address of the school, district, or administrative authority.

Administrator Contact Information

Field Name Field Type Description
Administrator Name
Character
The superintendent’s or principal’s name.
Administrator Phone
Character
The superintendent’s or principal’s phone number.
Administrator Phone Extension
Character
The superintendent’s or principal’s phone extension.
Administrator Email
Character
The superintendent’s or principal’s e-mail address.

Resources

Questions: CDS Administration | cdsadmin@cde.ca.gov | 916-327-4014
Private School Data | privateschools@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0317