National Center for Education Statistics : Searching NCES

Have the title of a report or survey collection? (i.e. you know exactly what you are looking for)

• We have provided links to all of NCES’s reports and survey collections on our NCES Publications Page.

Need data on a particular school, college or library?

• Start with this locator. 
• Remember to check the boxes on the top right that describe the type(s) of institution(s) that you are looking for.

Working with students?

• Want to share data about their school with them? Visit the NCES Kids page. 
• High School students may find the College Navigator useful, as it provides data-based profiles of the nation’s colleges and universities.

Straight-forward, factual query?

• Example queries: “what percentage of elementary and secondary schools offer distance education?” or “what is the percentage of college degrees conferred by sex and race?”
• Start with the Fast Facts section of the NCES website. 

Question is a bit more ambiguous?

• Try searching the Figures and Data Tables directly.
• Also try the above link if the Fast Facts section failed to answer your question.

Still have more questions?  Need to manipulate the raw data yourself?

• Check out NCES’s Data Tools. 
• Select the data tool that best fits your need based on the descriptions given. 
• Be aware that a good deal of NCES’s raw data is available by application only because of the need to keep pupil information confidential. 
• Information on obtaining a Restricted Use Data License can be found here.

Note: some of the NCES data sets are available through the UW-Madison Data and Information Services Center (DISC). Because of the unique nature of DISC’s holdings, they are not listed in the Library Catalog.  It is strongly suggested that you contact the librarian to discuss your needs before visiting DISC.