education-data-source-crdc

• references/civil-rights-context.md
• references/collection-methodology.md
• references/data-elements.md
• references/data-quality.md
• references/historical-changes.md
• references/variable-definitions.md

SKILL.md

---
name: education-data-source-crdc
description: >-
  CRDC — biennial OCR survey of all U.S. public schools (2011-2021). Discipline, course access, harassment, restraint/seclusion by race/sex/disability/EL. Use for civil rights and equity analysis. 2020-21 COVID-impacted; 2011-14 sampled, not universe.
metadata:
  audience: any-agent
  domain: data-source
  skill-authored: "2026-02-09"
  skill-last-updated: "2026-02-09"
---

# CRDC Data Source Reference

Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) — mandatory biennial OCR survey of all U.S. public schools measuring educational opportunity and civil rights compliance (2011-2021). Use when analyzing school discipline disparities by race/disability, course access equity, harassment, restraint/seclusion, or chronic absenteeism. Data disaggregated by race, sex, disability, and English learner status. Note: 2020-21 is COVID-impacted and not directly comparable to other years; 2011-14 are sampled, not universe.

The Civil Rights Data Collection is a mandatory biennial survey of all U.S. public schools measuring educational opportunity and civil rights compliance. It is the only national source for school-level discipline disparities, course access equity, harassment, and restraint/seclusion data disaggregated by race, sex, disability, and English learner status.

> **CRITICAL: Value Encoding**
>
> The Education Data Portal uses **integer codes**, not the string codes shown in OCR documentation. Always filter using integers.
>
> | Variable | String Code (Raw) | Portal Integer |
> |----------|-------------------|----------------|
> | Race: White | `WH` | `1` |
> | Race: Black | `BL` | `2` |
> | Race: Hispanic | `HI` | `3` |
> | Sex: Male | `M` | `1` |
> | Sex: Female | `F` | `2` |
>
> See `./references/variable-definitions.md` for complete encoding tables.

## What is CRDC?

The Civil Rights Data Collection is a **mandatory biennial survey** of all public schools and districts that measures educational opportunity and civil rights compliance:

- **Collector**: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
- **Purpose**: Enforce civil rights laws, identify discrimination, monitor equity
- **Coverage**: All public LEAs and schools receiving federal financial assistance
- **Frequency**: Biennial (every 2 school years)
- **Disaggregation**: Race/ethnicity, sex, disability status, English learner status
- **History**: Collected since 1968 (as Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Survey)
- **Available years**: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021 (biennial — no data for even-numbered school years)
- **Available through**: Education Data Portal mirrors

## Reference File Structure

| File | Purpose | When to Read |
|------|---------|--------------|
| `civil-rights-context.md` | Legal framework (Title VI, IX, Section 504, IDEA) | Understanding why data is collected |
| `data-elements.md` | All data categories and what's collected | Planning analysis, identifying variables |
| `collection-methodology.md` | Sampling, universe, timeline, reporting | Understanding coverage limitations |
| `variable-definitions.md` | Key variables, codes, disaggregation categories | Coding data, interpreting values |
| `data-quality.md` | Known issues, suppression, state variations | Addressing limitations in analysis |
| `historical-changes.md` | Evolution across collection years | Time series analysis, year comparison |

## Decision Trees

### What CRDC data do I need?

```
Research topic?
├─ School discipline
│   ├─ Suspensions (ISS/OSS) → ./references/data-elements.md#discipline
│   ├─ Expulsions → ./references/data-elements.md#discipline
│   ├─ Referrals to law enforcement → ./references/data-elements.md#discipline
│   ├─ School-related arrests → ./references/data-elements.md#discipline
│   └─ Preschool suspensions → ./references/data-elements.md#discipline
├─ Restraint and seclusion
│   └─ Physical restraint, mechanical, seclusion → ./references/data-elements.md#restraint-seclusion
├─ Harassment and bullying
│   ├─ Allegations by type → ./references/data-elements.md#harassment
│   └─ Disciplined for harassment → ./references/data-elements.md#harassment
├─ Course access and enrollment
│   ├─ AP/IB courses → ./references/data-elements.md#advanced-courses
│   ├─ Gifted/talented → ./references/data-elements.md#gifted-talented
│   ├─ Math/science courses → ./references/data-elements.md#course-access
│   └─ Computer science → ./references/data-elements.md#course-access
├─ Chronic absenteeism
│   └─ Students missing 15+ days → ./references/data-elements.md#chronic-absenteeism
├─ Special populations
│   ├─ Students with disabilities (IDEA) → ./references/data-elements.md#students-with-disabilities
│   ├─ English learners → ./references/data-elements.md#english-learners
│   └─ Preschool enrollment → ./references/data-elements.md#preschool
├─ School staffing
│   ├─ Teacher experience/certification → ./references/data-elements.md#staffing
│   └─ Counselors, nurses, etc. → ./references/data-elements.md#staffing
└─ School safety
    └─ Offenses, violence, weapons → ./references/data-elements.md#school-offenses
```

### Understanding the legal context?

```
Civil rights law question?
├─ Race/ethnicity discrimination → ./references/civil-rights-context.md#title-vi
├─ Sex/gender discrimination → ./references/civil-rights-context.md#title-ix
├─ Disability discrimination → ./references/civil-rights-context.md#section-504
├─ Special education services → ./references/civil-rights-context.md#idea
├─ Age discrimination → ./references/civil-rights-context.md#age-discrimination-act
└─ OCR enforcement process → ./references/civil-rights-context.md#ocr-enforcement
```

### Data quality concerns?

```
Data quality issue?
├─ Missing or suppressed data → ./references/data-quality.md#suppression
├─ Definition inconsistencies → ./references/data-quality.md#definition-variation
├─ Year-to-year comparability → ./references/historical-changes.md
├─ COVID-19 impact (2020-21) → ./references/data-quality.md#covid-impact
├─ Underreporting concerns → ./references/data-quality.md#underreporting
└─ State-level variations → ./references/data-quality.md#state-variations
```

## Quick Reference: CRDC Data Categories

### Collection Years

| School Year | Collection | Coverage | Key Notes |
|-------------|------------|----------|-----------|
| 2011-12 | Sample | ~7,000 districts | First modern CRDC; sampled |
| 2013-14 | Expanded | ~16,000 districts | Larger sample |
| 2015-16 | Near-universe | ~96,000 schools | First near-complete |
| 2017-18 | Universe | ~96,000 schools | Full universe collection |
| 2020-21 | Universe | ~97,500 schools | COVID-impacted year |
| 2021-22 | Universe | ~98,000 schools | Post-pandemic baseline |
| 2023-24 | Universe | In progress | Current collection |

**Critical**: CRDC is biennial - no data for odd years (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019).

### Data Categories

| Category | Description | Disaggregation |
|----------|-------------|----------------|
| **Enrollment** | Student counts by grade level | Race, sex, disability, LEP |
| **Discipline** | Suspensions, expulsions, arrests | Race, sex, disability, LEP |
| **Restraint/Seclusion** | Physical/mechanical restraint, seclusion | Race, sex, disability |
| **Harassment** | Allegations and discipline by type | Race, sex, disability |
| **Course Access** | AP, IB, math, science, CS offerings | School-level, enrollment by race/sex |
| **Chronic Absenteeism** | 15+ days missed | Race, sex, disability, LEP |
| **Staffing** | Teachers, counselors, nurses, etc. | FTE counts, qualifications |
| **Offenses** | Violence, weapons, drugs at school | Type of offense |
| **Retention** | Students retained in grade | Race, sex, disability |

### Key Identifiers

| ID | Format | Level | Example | Notes |
|----|--------|-------|---------|-------|
| `crdc_id` | 12-digit string | School | `010000201705` | Primary CRDC identifier; always present |
| `ncessch` | 12-digit string | School | `010000201705` | NCES school ID, joins to CCD; may be null for some entries |
| `leaid` | 7-digit string | District | `0100002` | NCES district ID, joins to CCD; always present |

> **Note:** The OCR-internal `combokey` (e.g., `AL-0010-00002`) does NOT appear as a column in Portal data. Use `crdc_id` or `ncessch` for school-level identification.

> **WARNING: String Type Override Required.** When reading CRDC data from CSV, `ncessch`, `leaid`, and `crdc_id` must be read as String (`pl.Utf8`) via `schema_overrides`. Polars infers these as Int64, silently destroying leading zeros for ~19% of rows (FIPS 01-09 states: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT). Parquet files preserve types automatically.

### Race/Ethnicity (Portal Integer Codes)

| Code | Category |
|------|----------|
| `1` | White |
| `2` | Black or African American |
| `3` | Hispanic/Latino of any race |
| `4` | Asian |
| `5` | American Indian or Alaska Native |
| `6` | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
| `7` | Two or more races |
| `99` | Total |

> **Empirically observed values:** Codes `1`-`7` and `99` appear in CRDC data. Additional codes (`8` Nonresident alien, `9` Unknown, `20` Other) are defined in the codebook but are not observed in practice for K-12 CRDC datasets. See `variable-definitions.md` for the full codebook listing.

### Sex (Portal Integer Codes)

| Code | Category |
|------|----------|
| `1` | Male |
| `2` | Female |
| `3` | Non-binary/other (newer collections; rows exist but mostly contain -1 or -2 values) |
| `99` | Total |

### Disability Status (Portal Integer Codes)

| Code | Category |
|------|----------|
| `0` | Students without disabilities |
| `1` | Students with disabilities (served under IDEA) |
| `2` | Students with Section 504 only |
| `3` | Students not served under IDEA (includes 504-only and non-disabled) |
| `4` | Students with disabilities (combined: IDEA + Section 504) |
| `99` | Total |

> **Note:** Not all disability codes appear in every dataset. Enrollment data typically has `[1, 2, 99]`; discipline data has `[0, 1, 2, 4, 99]`. Verify codes against the live codebook for your specific dataset.

### English Learner Status (Portal Integer Codes)

| Code | Category |
|------|----------|
| `1` | English learner (EL/LEP) |
| `99` | All students |

### Missing Data Codes

| Code | Meaning | When Used |
|------|---------|-----------|
| `-1` | Missing | Data not reported by school/district |
| `-2` | Not applicable | Item doesn't apply to this entity |
| `-3` | Suppressed | Data suppressed for privacy (small cell sizes) |
| `-9` | Skip pattern | Question not asked in this collection year (rare; check codebook) |
| `null` | Not available | Value absent from dataset (e.g., `ncessch` is null for some schools) |

> Verify these codes against the live codebook for your specific dataset. Use `get_codebook_url()` from `fetch-patterns.md`.

## Data Access

Datasets for CRDC are available via the Education Data Portal mirror system. See `datasets-reference.md` for canonical paths, `mirrors.yaml` for mirror configuration, and `fetch-patterns.md` for fetch code patterns including `fetch_from_mirrors()` and `fetch_yearly_from_mirrors()`.

**Key datasets (6 of 22 total):**

| Dataset | Path | Type | Codebook |
|---------|------|------|----------|
| Discipline | `crdc/schools_crdc_discipline_k12_{year}` | Yearly | `crdc/codebook_schools_crdc_discipline` |
| AP/IB Enrollment | `crdc/schools_crdc_apib_enroll` | Single | `crdc/codebook_schools_crdc_ap-ib-enrollment` |
| Enrollment | `crdc/schools_crdc_enrollment_k12_{year}` | Yearly | `crdc/codebook_schools_crdc_enrollment` |
| Chronic Absenteeism | `crdc/schools_crdc_chronic_absenteeism_{year}` | Yearly | `crdc/codebook_schools_crdc_chronic-absenteeism` |
| Harassment/Bullying | `crdc/schools_crdc_harass_bully_students_{year}` | Yearly | `crdc/codebook_schools_crdc_harrassment-bullying-students` |
| Restraint/Seclusion | `crdc/schools_crdc_restraint_seclusion_students_{year}` | Yearly | `crdc/codebook_schools_crdc_restraint-seclusion-students` |

22 CRDC datasets exist total (6 yearly, 16 single-file). See `datasets-reference.md` for the complete list with all paths and codebook references.

> **CRDC naming note:** Some data file paths use concatenated names (e.g., `disciplineinstances`, `mathandscience`) while their codebook counterparts use underscored names (e.g., `discipline_instances`, `math_and_science`). Always use the exact paths from `datasets-reference.md`.

Codebooks are `.xls` files co-located with data in all mirrors. Use `get_codebook_url()` from `fetch-patterns.md` to construct download URLs:

```python
from fetch_patterns import get_codebook_url
url = get_codebook_url("crdc/codebook_schools_crdc_discipline")
```

> **Truth Hierarchy:** When interpreting variable values, apply this priority:
> 1. **Actual data file** (what you observe in the parquet/CSV) -- this IS the truth
> 2. **Live codebook** (.xls in mirror) -- authoritative documentation, may lag
> 3. **This skill documentation** -- convenient summary, may drift from codebook
>
> If this documentation contradicts the codebook, trust the codebook. If the codebook contradicts observed data, trust the data and investigate.

### Filtering

```python
import polars as pl

# Filter to a single state (California) and disaggregated race groups
df = df.filter(
    (pl.col("fips") == 6) &       # California
    (pl.col("race") < 99)          # Exclude totals row
)

# Filter to specific demographic intersection
df = df.filter(
    (pl.col("race") == 2) &        # Black students
    (pl.col("sex") == 99) &         # Both sexes (total)
    (pl.col("disability") == 99)    # All disability statuses
)
```

## Common Pitfalls

| Pitfall | Issue | Solution |
|---------|-------|----------|
| **Using string codes** | Portal uses integers, not strings | `race == 2` not `race == "BL"` |
| **Raw counts** | Different enrollment sizes | Use rates per 100/1000 students |
| **Missing years** | Assuming annual data | Remember biennial schedule |
| **COVID year** | 2020-21 not comparable | Flag or exclude from trends |
| **Suppression** | Small cell suppression | Check suppression rates first |
| **Sample years** | Early years sampled | Use 2015+ for national estimates |
| **Definition drift** | Variables change over time | Check codebooks for each year |
| **Forgetting code 99** | Including totals in calculations | Filter `race < 99` for disaggregated analysis |
| **CSV type inference** | Polars infers `ncessch`/`leaid`/`crdc_id` as Int64 | Use `schema_overrides={"ncessch": pl.Utf8, "leaid": pl.Utf8, "crdc_id": pl.Utf8}` |

## Equity Analysis Framework

CRDC data is designed for civil rights analysis. Key analytical approaches:

### Disparity Ratios

```python
import polars as pl

# Calculate discipline disparity using Portal integer codes
def discipline_disparity(df, discipline_var, group_a, group_b):
    """
    Calculate risk ratio between two groups.
    Value > 1 indicates group_a has higher rate.

    Args:
        df: DataFrame with CRDC data
        discipline_var: Column with discipline counts
        group_a: Integer race code (e.g., 2 for Black)
        group_b: Integer race code (e.g., 1 for White)

    Example:
        # Black vs White OSS disparity
        disparity = discipline_disparity(df, 'students_susp_out_sch_single', 2, 1)
    """
    # Filter to each group (using integer codes)
    df_a = df.filter(pl.col('race') == group_a)
    df_b = df.filter(pl.col('race') == group_b)

    # Calculate rates
    rate_a = df_a.select(pl.col(discipline_var).sum()).item() / \
             df_a.select(pl.col('enrollment_crdc').sum()).item()
    rate_b = df_b.select(pl.col(discipline_var).sum()).item() / \
             df_b.select(pl.col('enrollment_crdc').sum()).item()

    return rate_a / rate_b

# Example: Black (race=2) vs White (race=1) disparity
# disparity = discipline_disparity(df, 'students_susp_out_sch_single', 2, 1)
```

### Composition vs. Representation

- **Composition**: What share of suspended students are Black?
- **Representation**: Are Black students suspended at higher rates than enrollment share?

### Risk Ratios

- Compare discipline/outcome rates across groups
- Adjust for school-level factors when appropriate

## Related Data Sources

| Source | Relationship | When to Use |
|--------|--------------|-------------|
| `education-data-source-ccd` | School/district characteristics | Linking CRDC to school demographics, locale, Title I status (join on `ncessch` or `leaid`) |
| `education-data-source-edfacts` | Assessment outcomes | Comparing discipline patterns to academic outcomes |
| `education-data-explorer` | Parent discovery skill | Finding available CRDC endpoints and variables |
| `education-data-query` | Data fetching | Downloading CRDC parquet/CSV files from mirrors |
| `education-data-context` | General interpretation | Education data interpretation and citation generation |

## Topic Index

| Topic | Reference File |
|-------|---------------|
| Title VI (race) | `./references/civil-rights-context.md` |
| Title IX (sex) | `./references/civil-rights-context.md` |
| Section 504 (disability) | `./references/civil-rights-context.md` |
| IDEA | `./references/civil-rights-context.md` |
| OCR enforcement | `./references/civil-rights-context.md` |
| Discipline data | `./references/data-elements.md` |
| Restraint/seclusion | `./references/data-elements.md` |
| Harassment | `./references/data-elements.md` |
| Course access | `./references/data-elements.md` |
| AP/IB/Gifted | `./references/data-elements.md` |
| Chronic absenteeism | `./references/data-elements.md` |
| Staffing | `./references/data-elements.md` |
| Preschool | `./references/data-elements.md` |
| Sampling approach | `./references/collection-methodology.md` |
| Collection timeline | `./references/collection-methodology.md` |
| Variable codes | `./references/variable-definitions.md` |
| Suppression rules | `./references/data-quality.md` |
| COVID impact | `./references/data-quality.md` |
| Year changes | `./references/historical-changes.md` |