Geographic Information System (GIS)

Essentials

Many elements of the California K-12 education system have physical locations, including schools and school districts. GIS can be used to plot these features on a map together with a wide variety of other mapped information including infrastructure, transportation, and natural resources. Map visualization and spatial analysis tools can then be used to find patterns and trends in the data that are difficult to identify using spreadsheets and tables.

The California Department of Education (CDE) staff create maps and perform spatial analysis to answer spatially related questions such as:

• What do student enrollment patterns look like across the state?
• Who are the legislators that represent my school district?
• Where are the charter schools in California?
• Where are schools and districts performing well on accountability metrics from the California School Dashboard?

GIS analysis helps us better understand data patterns and relationships. It provides actionable insights and results that can be used to help inform education policy decisions.

Geo Hub

The Geo Hub is an online data sharing platform that provides the public and researchers with a single point of access to the CDE’s mapping resources.

• Geographic Data
  The CDE’s statewide collection of authoritative GIS data is available for public use and is accessible through the Geo Hub. The school and district layers include the most current student demographic and performance data elements from the CDE’s data collections. The available content can be previewed within the Geo Hub, and downloaded in GIS compatible formats or as spreadsheets.
  
  
• Interactive Web Maps and Applications
  The interactive web maps and applications hosted on the Geo Hub highlight many of the ways that the CDE uses GIS technology and spatial analysis to better understand the conditions of public education in California.

Project Examples

The CDE has a collection of active GIS projects, including those listed below. Some of these projects were developed with cross-division collaboration within the CDE, while others involved outside partnerships with state and federal agencies.

• California School Dashboard Navigator
  An interactive online mapping tool for sharing school and district accountability data.
  
  
• Emergency Response Mapping & Support
  The CDE partners with the California Office of Emergency Services during emergency events to provide critical mapping support by identifying school facilities within incident areas and evacuation zones.
  
  
• School District Review Program
  A federal initiative and joint effort between the CDE, U.S. Census Bureau, and local government focused on maintaining accurate school district boundaries in order to ensure the equitable allocation of Title I funds.
  
  
• School Enrollment
  The "School Enrollment by Grade Viewer" combines census day annual enrollment data with a map of public schools to show how school enrollment varies geographically across California.
  
  
• Legislative District Boundaries
  A legislative district boundary data layer, and a legislative lookup table spreadsheet are available for download on the CDE Geo Hub. The spreadsheet was created using spatial analysis in GIS and identifies the state and federal legislative districts assigned to each of California's public schools and school districts.