DATA SNAPSHOT NOVEMBER 2023 - An Overview of the U.S. Department of Education’s 2020–21 Civil Rights Data Collection

Oct 15, 2026

A concise overview of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) for the 2020–21 school year. It explains that the CRDC is a mandatory survey of public schools and districts, covering student access to programs, activities, staffing, and school climate factors like discipline and harassment or bullying. It summarizes scale, including 17,821 districts and 97,575 schools, and outlines the submission timeline, data verification, and post-collection review steps.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

About the Civil Rights Data Collection

2020-21 CRDC Overview

2020-21 CRDC Counts

2020-21 CRDC Process

Sources and Data Quality Notes

DATA SNAPSHOT NOVEMBER 2023 An Overview of the U.S. Department of Education’s 2020–21 Civil Rights Data Collection 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights About the Civil Rights Data Collection The U. S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) administers the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), which is a mandatory survey of all public schools and school districts in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The CRDC gathers information about student access to educational programs, activities, and staff, and school climate factors, such as student discipline and harassment or bullying incidents, from public schools serving students in preschool through 12th grade. For the 2020-21 school year, the CRDC includes data from more than 17,000 school districts and 97,000 schools nationwide. For more information about the CRDC or to download the full CRDC public-use data file, please visit [https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov](https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov). htsdata. 2020-21 CRDC Overview School districts and other data submitters reported data on various topics for the 2020-21 school year, including:1 2020-21 CRDC Counts 100% Collection Submission Rate For the first time ever, 100% of required data submitters reported and certified data. 17,821 School Districts Participated. 97,575 Schools Participated. 55 District-level Survey Questions A total of 55 questions are on the district-level survey form. 1,573 School-level Survey Questions A total of 1,573 questions are on the school-level survey form. 2020-21 CRDC Process The 2020–21 CRDC submission system opened to data submitters on December 13, 2021 and closed on April 8, 2022. 1. Survey Development OCR plans for the collection by gathering feedback from members of the public through listening 6. Research & Evaluation OCR conducts various research and evaluation projects to support improvements for future collections. sessions and information collection requests, and prepares training materials and other resources. 5. Data Analysis & Reporting OCR analyzes all submitted data, prepares data files and their documentation, The CRDC process includes... 2. PreCollection All school districts verify contact information to ensure they are included in the collection. and drafts reports for release. 4. Post-Collection OCR reviews all submitted data and reaches out to select school districts regarding data accuracy. 3. Data Collection School districts submit and certify data in the CRDC online submission system. For an analysis of national civil rights data submitted by schools and school districts for the 2020-21 CRDC, please see A First Look: Students’ Access to Educational Opportunities in the Nation’s Public Schools, available at [https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov](https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov). 1. The CRDC is a district-level collection. Some states submit some or all data on behalf of their school districts, but school districts are required to certify the data. There is one exception: Florida is the only state that certifies data for all of its school districts. 2.IDEA enrollment refers to students with disabilities who receive special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Section 504 enrollment refers to students with disabilities who receive educational aids and services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection, released November 2023, available at [https://civilrightsdata.ed.go](https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov)[v](https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov). OCR cautions readers and data users to consider the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on students and on educational conditions when comparing the 2020-21 CRDC to CRDCs from previous years. F

FAQs

What is the CRDC and who administers it?

The CRDC is a mandatory survey administered by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). It collects information from public schools and school districts.

What types of information does the CRDC gather for 2020–21?

It gathers data on student access to educational programs, activities, and staff, as well as school climate factors such as discipline and harassment or bullying incidents.

When did the 2020–21 CRDC submission system accept and close submissions?

The submission system opened on December 13, 2021 and closed on April 8, 2022.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West