Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

File Structure: SPED Data by Program Setting

File structure for downloadable files containing Special Education (SPED) Enrollment by Program Setting data disaggregated by race/ethnicity, disability category, age range, grade span, gender, and English learner status.

Files include data at the state, county-level, Reporting District, District of Special Education Accountability (DSEA), and school of attendance levels about SPED Enrollment by Program Setting, including Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), disaggregated by race/ethnicity, disability category, age range, grade span, gender, and English learner status. Please refer to the file structure below for details on which data are included in the file.

For more information about the SPED data, please visit the Information about the Special Education Enrollment Reports web page. 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 1 submission.

Note: To protect student privacy, data may be suppressed (*) on the SPED downloadable files based on a combination of factors, including but not limited to the cell sizes at certain aggregation levels and within selected student populations that are 10 or fewer. For more information about the suppression policies applied to these data, please visit the Data Suppression (Special Education Enrollment by Program Setting Reports) web page.

General Description of the Data File

Field Name Description

Academic Year

The academic year corresponding to the annual Census Day from which official enrollment counts are determined using data submitted as part of the annual Fall 1 submission to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) by local educational agencies (LEAs), which include school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education. Census Day or Information Day is always the first Wednesday in October.
Aggregate Level

An indicator of the aggregation level.

  • T = State
  • C = County
  • D = District
  • A = District of Special Education Accountability (DSEA)
  • 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 Reporting District of Attendance or DSEA.

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 (All/Y/N)

An indicator of the School Type (Charter/Non-Charter) aggregation level.

  • All = Includes data for all schools in the selected aggregate regardless of charter status. For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, data for all schools are included in the selected aggregate. Charter = All is not applicable for Aggregate Level = S (school-level) or for Aggregate Level = A (DSEA).

  • Y = Includes only data for charter schools in the selected aggregate for Aggregate Levels T, C, and D. For Aggregate Level = S, a value of Charter = Y indicates that the school is a charter school. For Aggregate Level = A, a value of Charter = Y indicates that the DSEA is a charter school, not a district.

  • N = Includes only data for non-charter schools in the selected aggregate for Aggregate Levels T, C, and D. For Aggregate Level = S, a value of Charter = N indicates that the school is not a charter school. For Aggregate Level = A, a value of Charter = N indicates that the DSEA is a district, not a charter school.

Note: One of these values must be chosen to obtain a count at the selected level.

Reporting Category

An indicator of the student group reporting category disaggregation or subset.

Race/Ethnicity:

  • RB = African American
  • RI = American Indian or Alaska Native
  • RA = Asian
  • RF = Filipino
  • RH = Hispanic or Latino
  • RD = Not Reported
  • RP = Pacific Islander
  • RT = Two or More Races
  • RW = White

Disability Category:

  • DC_AUT = Autism (AUT)
  • DC_DB = Deaf Blindedness (DB)
  • DC_DFHI = Deaf (DF)/Hearing Impairment (HI)
  • DC_ED = Emotional Disturbance (ED)
  • DC_EMD = Established Medical Disability (EMD)
  • DC_HH = Hard of Hearing (HH)
  • DC_ID = Intellectual Disability (ID)
  • DC_MD = Multiple Disabilities (MD)
  • DC_OHI = Other Health Impairment (OHI)
  • DC_OI = Orthopedic Health Impairment (OI)
  • DC_SLD = Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
  • DC_SLI = Speech or Language Impairment (SLI)
  • DC_TBI = Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  • DC_VI = Visual Impairment (VI)

Age Range:

  • AR_35 = Ages 3 to 5
  • AR_612 = Ages 6 to 12
  • AR_1318 = Ages 13 to 18
  • AR_19P = Ages 19+ (typically 19 to 22)

Grade Span:

  • GS_PS3 = Preschool through Grade 3 (inclusive of Transitional Kindergarten)
  • GS_46 = Grade 4 through Grade 6
  • GS_78 = Grade 7 through Grade 8
  • GS_912 = Grade 9 through Grade 12

Gender:

  • GF = Female
  • GM = Male
  • GX = Non-Binary
  • GZ = Missing

English Learner:

  • EL_Y = Yes
  • EL_N = No

Total Count:

  • TA = Total

Note: To protect student privacy, the following Reporting Categories are not available at the school-level (i.e., Aggregate Level = S): Race/Ethnicity, Disability Category, Age Range, Grade Range, Gender, and English Learner status. The ONLY Reporting Category available at the school-level is TA (Total Count). Additionally, for Aggregate Levels, please select Reporting Category= TA for aggregate totals without consideration of a Reporting Category student group.

Special Education Enrollment

(SPED_ENR_N)

Special Education Enrollment consists of the total number of students with disabilities who are enrolled on Census Day (the first Wednesday in October) with a primary or short-term enrollment who have an active Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Special Education Enrollment is calculated at each reporting level (e.g., state, county, district, DSEA, and school).

Regular Class 80 Percent or More of the Day

(PS_RCGT80_N or PS_RCGT80_%)

 A program setting where a student with disabilities participates in regular general education classroom setting, which includes at least 50 percent nondisabled students, at least 80 percent of the school day. On the report, data in these columns represent the number/percentage of the Special Education Enrollment for students whose Special Education Program Setting is Regular Classroom/Public Day School or Regular Independent Study or Virtual Charter and whose General Education Classroom Setting is Regular Class 80 Percent or More of the Day.

Regular Class 40 to 79 Percent of the Day

(PS_RC4079_N or PS_RC4079_%)

 A program setting where a student with disabilities participates in regular general education classroom setting, which includes at least 50 percent nondisabled students, at least 40 but no more than 79 percent (less than 80 percent) of the school day. On the report, data in these columns represent the number/percentage of the Special Education Enrollment for students whose Special Education Program Setting is Regular Classroom/Public Day School or Regular Independent Study or Virtual Charter and whose General Education Classroom Setting is Regular Class 40 to 79 Percent of the Day.

Regular Class 39 Percent or Less of the Day

(PS_RCLT40_N or PS_RCLT40_%)

 A program setting where a student with disabilities participates in regular general education classroom setting, which includes at least 50 percent nondisabled students, less than 40 percent of the school day. On the report, data in these columns represent the number/percentage of the Special Education Enrollment for students whose Special Education Program Setting is Regular Classroom/Public Day School or Regular Independent Study or Virtual Charter and whose General Education Classroom Setting is Regular Class 39 Percent or Less of the Day.

Separate School & Other Settings

(PS_SSOS_N or PS_SSOS_%))

 A program setting or placement where children receive special education programs and/or related services in a separate school, residential facility, homebound/hospital, correctional facility, or are parentally placed in a private school. On the report, data in these columns represent the number/percentage of the Special Education Enrollment for students whose Special Education Program Setting is Separate School, Residential Facility, Homebound/Hospital, Correctional Facility, or Parentally Placed in Private School.

Preschool Setting

(PS_PSS_N or PS_PSS_%)

 A program setting or placement where children receive special education programs and/or services in a home, regular early childhood program, separate class, or at a service provider location. On the report, data in these columns represent the number/percentage of the Special Education Enrollment for students whose Special Education Program Setting is Home, Regular Early Childhood Program, Separate Class, or Service Provider Location (various).

Missing/Unknown

(PS_MUK_N or PS_MUK_%)

 No program setting or general education classroom setting was available for the student with disabilities at the time the data were compiled. On the report, data in these columns represent the number/percentage of the Special Education Enrollment for students whose Special Education Program Setting or General Education Classroom Setting was not reported or is unknown.

General Description of the Data File

Annual Census Day enrollment and related special education data are submitted by local educational agencies (LEAs) and charter schools to the CDE as part of the annual Fall 1 data submission in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). These data are reviewed and certified in CALPADS as being accurate by authorized LEA or charter school personnel, and subsequently approved by the authorizing Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA). To certify data in CALPADS, authorized LEA or charter school personnel are required to review the accuracy of all data associated with the applicable CALPADS submission, with final certification reserved for LEA superintendents, charter school administrators, or their designees. Please contact the LEA or charter school if you have any questions about their certified CALPADS data.

Source: Special Education Enrollment and Program Setting data were submitted and certified by LEAs and/or charter schools and approved by SELPAs as part of the annual CALPADS Fall 1 submission.

Note: To protect student privacy, data may be suppressed (*) on the SPED downloadable files based on a combination of factors, including but not limited to the cell sizes at certain aggregation levels and within selected student populations that are 10 or fewer. For more information about the suppression policies applied to these data, please visit the Data Suppression (Special Education Enrollment by Program Setting Reports) web page.

Using the Special Education 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 data totals with one record per school with school totals (without student group totals):
    1. Aggregate Level = S (School)
    2. Charter School (Y/N) = Y and N
    3. Reporting Category = TA

  2. Get school-level data totals by student group (Reporting Category) for all non-charter schools:
    1. Aggregate Level = S (School)
    2. Charter School (Y/N) = N
    3. Reporting Category Not equal to TA

  3. Get Reporting District-level data totals by student group (Reporting Category) for non-charter schools:
    1. Aggregate Level = D (District)
    2. Charter School (Y/N) = N
    3. Reporting Category Not equal to TA

  4. Get Reporting DSEA-level data totals-only:
    1. Aggregate Level = A (DSEA)
    2. Reporting Category Equal to TA

  5. Get statewide-level data totals for charter schools
    1. Aggregate Level = T (State)
    2. Charter School (Y/N) = Y
    3. Reporting Category = TA

Contacts for Questions

Questions: Data Reporting Office | dro@cde.ca.gov | 916-327-0219 
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Trending in Accessing Educational Data
Recently Posted in Accessing Educational Data
  • Annual Aggregate Reports (added 09-Apr-2024)
    The page displays the annual California State Preschool Program enrollment data by Statutory Age and Program Length for fiscal years 2020−23, providing an unduplicated count of children served by the California Department of Education (CDE).
  • CSPP Enrollment by Provider County Reports (added 09-Apr-2024)
    The page provides links to annual October California State Preschool Program (CSPP) enrollment reports by provider county for 2020−22 in XLSX format.
  • Single-Month Reports (added 09-Apr-2024)
    The page displays California State Preschool Program (CSPP) Enrollment by Program Length, Statutory Age, Agency Classification, and Race/Ethnicity.
  • Two-Month Average Data Reports (added 09-Apr-2024)
    The page displays two-month average Early Education Division (EED) enrollment data for children by Program Length and Statutory Age for October/April in 2020−23.