May 14, 2021
DataQuest is the California Department of Education’s (CDE) public data reporting website. DataQuest provides meaningful data and statistics about California’s K-12 public education system and supports a wide variety of informational, research, and policy needs. The purpose of the DataQuest Update is to provide: (1) announcements regarding public data releases and availability; (2) general information and analysis on various data reporting topics; and (3) practical tips on how to effectively use DataQuest or publicly available downloadable data files to obtain information. For questions regarding DataQuest, please submit an email to dataquest@cde.ca.gov.
Release of New Data Reports on DataQuest
In April, the CDE released the 2020–21 Annual Enrollment, English Learner, and Free and Reduced-Price Meal (FRPM) data reports on the CDE DataQuest website. For more information regarding the Census day Enrollment Reports please refer to California Department of Education News Release, 2020–21 Statewide School Enrollment Data Released.
These data reports included in this release are based on data submitted and certified in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) by districts and charter schools. The Annual Enrollment, English Learner, and FRPM reports reflect data on Census Day 2020 (the first Wednesday in October). Please note that beginning in 2020–21, the annual enrollment counts provided in the DataQuest reports and in the supporting downloadable files include both primary and short-term enrollments to align with other uses of the data, including the Unduplicated Pupil Count (UPC) used in the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), and for the FRPM data, both of which include primary and short-term enrollments on Census Day.
The DataQuest reports provided in this release include the following:
2020–21 Annual Enrollment Reports
- Statewide Enrollment by Ethnicity and Grade
- Statewide Enrollment Multi-Year Summary by Ethnicity
- Statewide Enrollment by Ethnicity (with county data)
- Statewide Enrollment Multi-Year Summary by Grade
- Statewide Enrollment by Grade (with county Data)
- Statewide Enrollment by Ethnicity for Charter and Non-Charter Schools
- Statewide Enrollment by Subgroup for Charter and Non-Charter Schools
- Statewide Enrollment for Charter and Non-Charter Schools (with county data)
- Statewide Enrollment Multi-Year Summary for Charter and Non-Charter Schools
- Statewide K-12 Enrollment by Age Group and Grade
- Statewide K-12 Enrollment by Age Range (with county data)
- Enrollment by English Language Acquisition Status (ELAS) and Grade
- Enrollment by English Language Acquisition Status (ELAS) (with county data)
2020–21 English Learner (EL) Reports
- Enrollment by English Language Acquisition Status (ELAS) and Grade
- Enrollment by English Language Acquisition Status (ELAS) (with county data)
- English Learners by Language and Grade
- Annual Reclassification (RFEP) Counts and Rates
- Annual Reclassification (RFEP) Counts and Rates (with County data)
- Language Group Data - Statewide
2020–21 Free and Reduced-Price Meal Reports
- Free and Reduced-Price Meal - State summary (summary data only)
- Free and Reduced-Price Meal - State summary (with county data)
How to Access Data
Users may access these reports by performing the following steps:
- Navigate to the DataQuest Homepage
- Select the desired Level (State, County, District, or School)
- Select desired report from drop down menu
- Select “Submit”
- Select the desired Year
- 2020–21
- Select “Submit”
- Select desired report from the menu
Supporting Downloadable Data Files
The following 2020–21 supporting downloadable data files are included in this release:
- Census Day Primary & Short-Term Enrollment by School
- Student Poverty FRPM Data
- English Learners by Grade & Language
- FEP Students by Grade & Language
- English Learner Reclassification Data
Additional Downloadable Data Files
The following 2020–21 additional downloadable data files are included in this release:
Data & Statistics Web Page Redesign
The CDE Data & Statistics web page has undergone a significant redesign in effort to create a more organized, intuitive, and user-friendly browser experience. Of particular importance, the CDE has established a new centralized location for data on the new CDE Accessing Educational Data web page, which includes the following:
- An overview of CDE’s publicly available educational data, including information about CDE’s various data collections, data-related communications, and information about CDE’s effort to implement an online data retention policy.
- Access to data reports and downloadable data files by topic area, which has been redesigned to assist users in easily locating data.
- Additional data resources to supplement assist users locating data and related information of interest.
The CDE will continue to make improvements on the Data & Statistics web pages to provide further data transparency and facilitate easier access to and use of CDE’s publicly available educational data.
Upcoming Data Releases
In Spring/Summer 2021, the CDE anticipates the public release of the following:
- 2020–21 Classified Staff Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) reports and data files
- 2021–22 Estimated Teacher Hires reports and data files
- 2020–21 Teacher Assignment Monitoring reports and data files
In Summer/Fall 2021, the CDE anticipates the public release of the following:
- 2019–20 New Student Stability reports and data files
- 2020–21 Transitional Kindergarten Participation reports and data files
- 2020–21 Long-Term English Learner reports and data files
- 2019–20 New Staff, Course, and Class related reports and data files
Please Note: The release of the 2019–20 staff, course, and class data has been impacted by assignment monitoring activities and related state and federal reporting requirements that utilize these data. Additionally, in response to internal and external stakeholder requests, the is CDE currently working on developing new DataQuest reports with enhanced functionality along with new supporting downloadable files.