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School Data Category Taxonomy

Source: DATA-CATEGORY-TAXONOMY.md

Canonical taxonomy of data types that US state Departments of Education publish about schools. These 9 categories (Tiers 1-2) are shown in each package’s README Data Taxonomy table.

Part of the state schooldata project.

Tier 1 — Core (every state DOE publishes this)

# Category Notes
1 Enrollment & Demographics Race, gender, grade level, FRL
2 Assessments / Test Scores State tests, proficiency levels, growth
3 Graduation Rates 4-yr ACGR, extended rates, diploma types
4 School/District Directory Names, IDs, addresses, coordinates, locale

1. Enrollment & Demographics

  • Total headcount by school, district, state
  • Enrollment by grade level (PK through 12)
  • Enrollment by race/ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, Multiracial)
  • Enrollment by gender
  • Free and Reduced-Price Lunch (FRPL) eligibility
  • English Learners / LEP counts
  • Students with Disabilities / IEP counts
  • Charter, magnet, virtual school enrollment
  • Pre-K / early childhood enrollment

2. Assessments / Test Scores

  • State standardized test proficiency rates (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies)
  • Performance level distributions (Below Basic through Advanced)
  • Disaggregated by race, gender, economic status, disability, EL status
  • Student growth measures (growth percentiles, value-added)
  • End-of-course exams (Algebra I, Biology, US History)

3. Graduation Rates

  • 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR)
  • 5-year and 6-year extended graduation rates
  • Disaggregated by all ESSA subgroups
  • Diploma types (standard, advanced, honors, alternative, GED)
  • Dropout rates (annual and cohort)

4. School/District Directory

  • School name, address, phone, website
  • NCES and state school/district IDs
  • Geographic coordinates (lat/long)
  • Locale classification (city, suburban, town, rural)
  • School type (traditional, charter, magnet, alternative, virtual, CTE)

Tier 2 — ESSA-Required (federally mandated reporting)

# Category Notes
5 Per-Pupil Expenditure School-level spending (ESSA-mandated)
6 Accountability Ratings A-F grades, star ratings, CSI/TSI lists
7 Chronic Absenteeism Most common ESSA “5th indicator”
8 English Learner Progress ELP assessment, reclassification rates
9 Special Education IDEA disability categories, placement settings

5. Per-Pupil Expenditure

  • Total per-pupil expenditure at school level
  • Spending by funding source (federal, state, local)
  • Instructional vs. non-instructional spending

6. Accountability Ratings

  • Overall school/district ratings (A-F, stars, color-coded)
  • CSI/TSI/ATSI school lists
  • Component scores (achievement, growth, gap closing, graduation)

7. Chronic Absenteeism

  • Chronic absenteeism rate (10%+ of school days missed)
  • Disaggregated by race, gender, economic status, disability, EL
  • Average daily attendance (ADA) and membership (ADM)

8. English Learner Progress

  • ELP assessment results (WIDA ACCESS, ELPAC, or state-specific)
  • Reclassification / redesignation rates
  • Long-term English Learner counts
  • Home language distribution

9. Special Education

  • Students with disabilities by IDEA disability category
  • Educational placement/setting
  • Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) percentages
  • Disproportionate representation by race/ethnicity