Selected Resources for United States Education Statistics

This selective guide identifies several major sources of statistical data for United States elementary, secondary, and higher education. Many of these resources are produced by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and draw from surveys done by the NCES, the U.S. Census Bureau, and other government and private agencies. All of the following items are currently available in Gutman Library or on the Web.

General

• Condition of Education (2000-2007) Indicators documenting recent trends and developments in American education.
  1975 to present available in print: Gutman Education L112.A39--Latest edition in Reference
• Digest of Education Statistics (1990-2006) A comprehensive annual statistical compilation covering prekindergarten through postsecondary education.
  1962 to present available in print: Gutman Education L11.D48--Latest edition in Reference (Note: title varies)
• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Provides periodic national assessments of achievement by subject area for various populations of students (e.g. fourth graders).
  Print publications available by subject area: Use the HOLLIS Catalog to do an author search for: national assessment of educational progress
• Projections of Education Statistics Projections of key K-12 and higher education indicators, including enrollment, graduation rates, number of teachers, and school expenditures.
  1975/76 to present available in print: Gutman Education LA210.A28--Latest edition in Reference
• NCES Site Index An overview of NCES surveys, studies, and publications.

Education Data Sets (downloadable data files)

• Common Core of Data Comprehensive annual statistics covering all U.S. public elementary and secondary schools and school districts. Includes a build-a-table feature.
• Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) Data on enrollment, program completions, finances, and institutional characteristics for public and private postsecondary institutions from the mid 1960s through the mid 1980s.
• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Institution-level data on enrollment, program completions, faculty, staff, and finances for public and private postsecondary institutions from the late 1980s to present.
• International Archive of Education Data Provides access to a growing number of education data collections, primarily from NCES. Site includes data files, documentation, and an online data analysis system.
• School District Demographics Geographic and demographic data from school districts. Includes a data mapping feature.
• Schools and Staffing Survey Four core annual surveys covering schools, teachers, principals, and school districts.

Historical

• 120 Years of American Education: A Statistical Portrait (3,122KB pdf) Education statistics for elementary, secondary, and higher education from 1870 – 1990.
  Print edition: Gutman Education Ref LB2846.O54 1993
• American Education 1870 – 1991: A Statistical Handbook Another compilation of education statistics for elementary, secondary, and higher education from 1870 – 1990.
  Print edition: Gutman Education Ref LA205.A44 1993
• Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education. Annual statistical report from the Department of Education (name varies). In addition to the standard indicators, includes statistics on city and state school systems as well as chapters on a wide variety of education topics.
  1867/68-1983, 1989/90 available in print: Gutman Education L111.A31 (Note: title varies)
• Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (52.2MG pdf and 66.1MB pdf) Broad range of historical U.S. demographic, political, and social statistics.
  Print edition: Gutman Education Ref HA202.H57 1989

State Data

• Rankings of the States 2006 and Estimates of School Statistics 2007 (1.327MB pdf) State rankings for K-12 and higher education indicators, including enrollment, teachers, and school revenue and expenditures.
• Estimates of School Statistics 1958-1973, 1977-1998 available in print: Gutman Education LC130.N3 (Note: title varies)
• Rankings of the States 1973, 1978-1997 available in print: Gutman Education LB2846.N3
• State Comparisons of Education Statistics 1969-70 to 1996-97 (2,376KB pdf) State comparisons of enrollment, graduation, achievement, staffing, and finance statistics over a 27-year period.
  Available in print: Gutman Education Ref LA209.2.S85 1995
• State Departments of Education Links to state Department of Education websites.

For additional information or assistance, contact Gutman Library Research and Instruction Services (617-495-3421/3422 or reference@gse.harvard.edu) or stop by the Gutman Reference Desk.