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File Structure: Annual RFEP Rate Data

File structure for data files of the number and rate of English learner (EL) students who were reclassified fluent English proficient (RFEP) during the academic year (July 1–June 30) disaggregated by level (i.e., state, county, district, and school).

Files include state, county, district, and school level data. Please refer to the file structure for details for information about which data are included in the file. For more detailed examples about how to properly use these data, please refer to the Using the Annual RFEP Rates Data File examples below.

Note: Data are not included for districts and independently reporting charter schools (IRCs) that did not certify their California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) End-of-Year submission. Also, no data are included for schools and districts that did not have any students who were last enrolled as an English learner at the school or district during the Academic Year.

General Description of the Data File

Field Name Description

Academic Year

The academic year (July 1 – June 30) corresponding to the time period during which the data were collected.
Aggregate Level

An indicator of the aggregation level.

  • T = State
  • C = County
  • D = District
  • S = School

Note: One of these values must be chosen to obtain a count at the selected level.
County Code A unique two-digit code corresponding to the county.
District Code A unique five-digit code corresponding to the district.

School Code

A unique seven-digit code corresponding to the school.

County Name

County Name

District Name

District or Administrative Authority Name

School Name

School Name

Charter School (All/Y/N)

An indicator of whether data for all schools, only charter schools, or only non-charter schools are included:

  • All = Includes data for all schools regardless of charter status. For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, data for all schools are included in the aggregate. For Aggregate Level = S, "ALL" is not an applicable status; rather, for Aggregate Level = S, either Charter = Y or Charter = N, depending on the school.

  • Y = Includes only data for charter schools. For Aggregate Level = S, only charter schools are included. For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, only data for charter schools are included in the aggregate;.

  • N = Includes only data for non-charter schools. For Aggregate Level = S, only non-charter schools are included. For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, only data for non-charter schools are included in the aggregate.

Note: One of these values must be chosen to obtain a count/rate at the selected level.
Dashboard Alternative School (DASS) (All/Y/N)

An indicator of whether data for all schools, only DASS schools, or only non-DASS schools are included:

  • All = Includes data for all schools regardless of DASS status. For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, data for all schools are included in the aggregate. For Aggregate Level = S, "ALL" is not an applicable status; rather, for Aggregate Level = S, either DASS = Y or DASS = N, depending on the school.

  • Y = Includes only data for DASS schools. For Aggregate Level = S, only DASS schools are included. For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, only data for DASS schools are included in the aggregate.

  • N = Includes only data for non-DASS schools. For Aggregate Level = S, only non-DASS schools are included. For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, only data for non-DASS schools are included in the aggregate.

Note: One of these values must be chosen to obtain a count/rate at the selected level.
English Learner (EL) Count (Denominator)

 

 The count of English learner (EL) students who were last enrolled at a school as an EL during the Academic Year (AY). For the purposes of the Annual RFEP Rate calculation, these students include: (1) EL students who were reclassified as fluent English proficient (RFEP) during the AY. RFEP students are, by definition, last enrolled as an EL during the AY at the school where they reclassified; and (2) EL students that did not reclassify during the AY are counted as an EL at the school where they were last enrolled during the AY. EL counts are provided at the applicable level (i.e., school, district, county, and state) accounting for the application of any relevant filters (i.e., Charter or DASS).

Note: The EL count used to calculate the Annual RFEP Rate is not the same as the count of EL students who are cumulatively enrolled at school during the AY. This is because some cumulatively enrolled EL students may transfer to another school during the AY where they are last enrolled as an EL.
Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) Count (Numerator) The count of English learner (EL) students who were reclassified as fluent English proficient (RFEP) during the Academic Year (AY). RFEP students are, by definition, last enrolled as an EL during the AY at the school where they were reclassified. RFEP counts are provided at the applicable level (i.e., school, district, county, and state) accounting for the application of any relevant filters (i.e., Charter or DASS).
Annual RFEP Rate The Annual RFEP Rate = RFEP Count / EL Count. The RFEP Rate is the percentage of students who were last enrolled at a school as an English Learner (EL) during the Academic Year (AY) who were reclassified as fluent English proficient (RFEP) during the AY. RFEP Rates are provided at the applicable level (i.e., school, district, county, and state) accounting for the application of any relevant filters (i.e. Charter or DASS).

General Description of the Data File

The reclassified fluent English proficient (RFEP) data are submitted by local educational agencies (LEAs) and charter schools to the California Department of Education (CDE) as part of the annual End of Year (EOY) data submission in the CALPADS. Data are reviewed and certified in CALPADS as being accurate by authorized district or school personnel. In order to certify data in CALPADS, authorized district or charter school personnel are required to review the accuracy of all data associated with the applicable CALPADS submission. The data certification must be performed by district superintendents, charter school administrators, or their designees. Please contact the district or school if you have any questions about their certified CALPADS data.

Source:  RFEP data are submitted and certified by LEAs and/or charter schools as part of the annual CALPADS End of Year submission.

Note:  RFEP data were included as part of the annual CALPADS EOY 3 submission in 2024–25; however, RFEP data were transitioned to the CALPADS EOY 1 submission beginning 2025–26. In 2020–21, the collection of RFEP data was transitioned from the annual CALPADS Fall 1 submission to the annual CALPADS EOY 3 submission. During this transition, the period for counting RFEPs moved from Census Day Year 1 – Census Day Year 2 to the Academic Year (July 1 – June 30). This transition required the CDE to develop a new methodology for calculating the Annual RFEP Rate along with the implementation of new CALPADS data validations. As a result, the CDE did not produce annual RFEP rates between 2020 and 2024. Due to changes in the methodology for calculating the annual RFEP Rate beginning in 2024–25, the CDE strongly discourages against comparing the new RFEP count and rate data with RFEP count data from 2020–21 and prior, which are available as Historical EL Reclassification Data downloadable data files.

Using the Annual RFEP Rates Data File

This file contains different subsets of data based on the values of different variables. If these sub-setting variables are not used properly, it is easy to end up with incorrect or duplicative data. Please refer to the following examples below as a guide for properly using these data:

  1. Get school-level RFEP counts and rates for all schools
    1. Aggregate Level = S (School)
    2. Charter School = Y and N
    3. DASS = Y and N

  2. Get school-level RFEP counts and rates for all non-charter schools
    1. Aggregate Level = S (School)
    2. Charter School = N
    3. DASS = Y and N

  3. Get district-level RFEP counts and rates for all non-charter schools
    1. Aggregate Level = D (District)
    2. Charter School = N
    3. DASS = ALL

  4. Get county-level RFEP counts and rates for all non-charter schools that are DASS schools
    1. Aggregate Level = C (County)
    2. Charter School = N
    3. DASS = Y

  5. Get statewide-level RFEP counts and rates for all schools
    1. Aggregate Level = T (State)
    2. Charter School = ALL
    3. DASS = ALL
Questions:   Analysis Measurement & Accountability Reporting Division | DataQuest@cde.ca.gov
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
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