File Structure: Student/Staff Ratios Data

File structure for downloadable data files containing Student/Staff Ratios data disaggregated by academic year, staff type, and school grade span.

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 Student/Staff Ratios Data File examples below.

Note: 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 full-time equivalent (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.

General Description of the Data File

Field	Description
Academic Year	The academic year corresponding to the Census Day from which official certificated staff counts are determined using data submitted as part of the annual Fall 2 submission to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) by local educational agencies (LEAs), which includes school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education. Census Day or Information Day is the first Wednesday in October.
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 an unduplicated 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 in the aggregate. 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. Charter = ALL is not applicable for Aggregate Level = S (school-level). 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. 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. Note: One of these values must be chosen to obtain an unduplicated count at the selected level. Select ALL for aggregate totals without consideration of charter school status.
Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) (ALL/Y/N)	An indicator of whether data for all schools, only schools participating in the Dashboard Alternative School Status Program (DASS), or only non-DASS schools are included in the aggregate. 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. DASS = ALL is not applicable for Aggregate Level = S (school-level). Y: Includes only data for DASS schools in the selected aggregate for Aggregate Levels T, C, and D. For Aggregate Level = S, a value of DASS = Y indicates that the school is a DASS school. N: Includes only data for non-DASS schools in the selected aggregate for Aggregate Levels T, C, and D. For Aggregate Level = S, a value of DASS = N indicates that the school *is not a* DASS school. Note: One of these values must be chosen to obtain an unduplicated count at the selected level. Select ALL for aggregate totals without consideration of DASS.
Staff Type	A coded value corresponding to the certificated Staff Type with data are included in the aggregate. ALL: All Staff ADM: Administrators PSV: Pupil Services Staff TCH: Teachers OTH: Other Non-Instructional Support Staff Note: One of these options must be chosen to obtain the desired count at the selected level. Select ALL for aggregate totals without consideration of Staff Type.
School Grade Span	A coded value corresponding to the School Grade Span of the schools for which data are included in the aggregate. ALL: Includes data for all schools regardless of School Grade Span. For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, data for all schools are included in the aggregate. School Grade Span = All is not applicable for Aggregate Level = S (school-level). GS_K6: Includes data for Grade K–6 schools where the lowest and highest grades offered are grades 6 or less, inclusive (e.g., grade K, grades K–1, grades K–6, grades 1–5, grade 6). For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, only data for Grade K–6 schools are included in the aggregate. For Aggregate Level = S, a value of School Grade Span = GS_K6 indicates that the school is a Grade K–6 school. GS_69: Includes data for Grade 6–9 schools where the lowest grades offered are grades 6–8, inclusive, and the highest grades offered are grades 7–9, inclusive (e.g., grades 6–9, grades 6–8, grades 7–9). For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, only data for GS_69 schools are included in the aggregate. For Aggregate Level = S, a value of School Grade Span = GS_69 indicates that the school is a Grade 6–9 school. GS_912: Includes data for Grade 9–12 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). For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, only data for GS_912 schools are included in the aggregate. For Aggregate Level = S, a value of School Grade Span = GS_912 indicates that the school is a Grade 9–12 school. GS_K12: Includes data for Grade K–12 Other 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). For Aggregate Levels T, C, and D, only data for GS_K12 schools are included in the aggregate. For Aggregate Level = S, a value of School Grade Span = GS_K12 indicates that the school is a Grade K–12 Other school. 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. 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. Note: One of these options must be chosen to obtain the desired count at the selected level. Select ALL for aggregate totals without consideration of School Grade Span.
Total Student Enrollment (TOTAL_ENR_N)	The total 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 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.
Teacher FTE (TCH_FTE_N)	The total "full-time equivalent" or FTE of all certificated teaching positions, which is defined as the percentage of time spent working in a teaching position in relation to a full-time teaching position (100 percent or 1.0 FTE).
Administrator FTE (ADM_FTE_N)	The total "full-time equivalent" or FTE of all certificated administrator positions, which is defined as the percentage of time spent working in a administrator position in relation to a full-time administrator position (100 percent or 1.0 FTE).
Pupil Services FTE (PSV_FTE_N)	The total "full-time equivalent" or FTE of all certificated pupil services positions, which is defined as the percentage of time spent working in a pupil services position in relation to a full-time pupil services position (100 percent or 1.0 FTE).
Non-Instructional Support FTE (OTH_FTE_N)	The total "full-time equivalent" or FTE of all certificated non-instructional support (other) positions, which is defined as the percentage of time spent working in a non-instructional support position in relation to a full-time non-instructional support position (100 percent or 1.0 FTE).
Student/Teacher Ratio (STU_TCH_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.
Student/Administrator Ratio (STU_ADM_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.
Student/Pupil Services Ratio (STU_PSV_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.
Student/Non-Instructional Support Ratio (STU_OTH_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.

General Description of the Data File

The TK/K–12 student enrollment data and the certificated staff full-time equivalency (FTE) data used to calculate the student/staff ratios are submitted by local educational agencies (LEAs) and charter schools to the California Department of Education (CDE) as part of the annual Fall 1 (student enrollment) and Fall 2 (staff FTE) data submissions in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Student enrollment and certificated staff data are reviewed and certified in CALPADS as being accurate by authorized LEA or charter school personnel. In order 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: California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Fall 1 (student enrollment) and Fall 2 (staff FTE). The CALPADS Fall 1 and Fall 2 data are based on information as of Census Day, the first Wednesday in October.

Note: 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. 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.

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 reported student enrollment data in CALPADS Fall 1, did not report staff data in the annual CALPADS Fall 2 data submission (e.g., non-public sectarian schools or schools that failed to certify the CALPADS Fall 2 submission). The student enrollment data provided in the Student/Staff Ratios are used for calculation purposes ONLY and should NOT be used for student enrollment related purposes, such as citing annual statewide enrollment counts. Instead, users should use the Annual Enrollment data, which is inclusive of all schools and TK/K–12 enrollment data.

Using the Student/Staff Ratios 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:

Get unduplicated school-level totals for all staff (Note: Staff may have multiple Staff Type assignments at an entity. Staff Type = ALL is an unduplicated staff count.)
1. Aggregate Level = S (School)
2. Charter School (Y/N) = Y and N
3. DASS (Y/N) = Y and N
4. Staff Type = ALL
5. School Grade Span = ALL
Get school-level data totals for Teachers and for all non-charter schools
1. Aggregate Level = S (School)
2. Charter School (Y/N) = N
3. DASS (Y/N) = Y and N
4. Staff Type = TCH
5. School Grade Span = ALL
Get school-level data totals for Male Teachers and for all Grade 9-12 DASS schools
1. Aggregate Level = S (School)
2. Charter School (Y/N) = Y and N
3. DASS (Y/N) = Y
4. Staff Type = TCH
5. School Grade Span = GS_912
Get district-level data totals for Administrators by Staff Gender for non-charter schools
1. Aggregate Level = D (District)
2. Charter School (Y/N) = N
3. DASS (Y/N) = ALL
4. Staff Type = ADM
5. School Grade Span = ALL
Get statewide-level data totals for Teachers and for charter schools that are DASS schools
1. Aggregate Level = T (State)
2. Charter School (Y/N) = Y
3. DASS (Y/N) = Y
4. Staff Type = TCH
5. School Grade Span = ALL

Questions: Analysis Measurement & Accountability Reporting Division | dro@cde.ca.gov

Last Reviewed: Thursday, July 17, 2025

Trending in Accessing Educational Data

Recently Posted in Accessing Educational Data

DataQuest Update, Issue #24 (added 17-Jul-2025)
DataQuest is an online data reporting resource that provides access to a wide variety of data reports and downloadable data files.
Information about the Staff Experience Data (added 17-Jul-2025)
Overview of the Staff Experience data, including data sources, DataQuest reports, downloadable files, definitions, and other information helpful to understanding the data, reports, and downloadable files.
Information about the Staff Race/Ethnicity Data (added 17-Jul-2025)
Overview of the Staff Race/Ethnicity data, including data sources, DataQuest reports, downloadable files, definitions, and other information helpful to understanding the data, reports, and downloadable files.
Staff Experience Downloadable Data Files (added 17-Jul-2025)
Downloadable data files about certificated staff employed on Census Day disaggregated by years of experience, academic year, staff type, school grade span, and gender.
Student/Staff Ratios Downloadable Data Files (added 17-Jul-2025)
Downloadable data files about student/staff ratios as of Census Day disaggregated by staff type, academic year, and school grade span.

File Structure: Staff Education Data (added 17-Jul-2025)
File structure for downloadable data files containing Certificated Staff Education disaggregated by academic year, staff type, school grade span, and gender.
File Structure: Staff Experience Data (added 17-Jul-2025)
File structure for downloadable data files containing Certificated Staff Experience disaggregated by academic year, staff type, school grade span, and gender.
File Structure: Student/Staff Ratios Data (added 17-Jul-2025)
File structure for downloadable data files containing Student/Staff Ratios data disaggregated by academic year, staff type, and school grade span.
File Structure: Staff Race/Ethnicity Data (added 17-Jul-2025)
File structure for downloadable data files containing Certificated Staff by Race/Ethnicity disaggregated by academic year, staff type, school grade span, and gender.
Staff Counts by Education (added 17-Jul-2025)
Reports and data about certificated staff employed on Census Day disaggregated by education level, academic year, staff type, school grade span, and gender.