U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights 1

Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

March 21, 2014

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights

CIVIL RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION

Data Snapshot: Early Childhood Education

Issue Brief No. 2 (March 2014)

For other data snapshots in the series, visit the CRDC at: http://ocrdata.ed.gov

INSIDE THIS SNAPSHOT: Early Childhood Education Highlights

 Public preschool access not yet a reality for much of the nation: About 40% of school districts do not 

offer preschool programs. 

 Part-day preschool is offered more often than full-day: 57% of school districts that operate public 

preschool programs offer only part-day preschool.

 Limited universal access to preschool: Just over half of the school districts that operate public 

preschool programs explicitly make such programs available to all students within the district. 

 Kindergarten retention disparities: Native-Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander, American Indian, and 

Native-Alaskan kindergarten students are held back a year at nearly twice the rate of white kindergarten 

students. Boys represent 61% of kindergarteners retained. 

 Suspension of preschool children (new for 2011–12 collection): Black children make up 18% of 

preschool enrollment, but 48% of preschool children suspended more than once. Boys receive more than

three out of four out-of-school preschool suspensions.
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights 2

Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

March 21, 2014

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

A child’s early education, including preschool and elementary school, sets the foundation for his or her future 

success. The 2011–12 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) collected early-childhood-education-related data 

such as preschool access and discipline, as well as student retention, in elementary school. For the CRDC, 

“preschool” means a program operated by a public school for children younger than kindergarten age, 

including early childhood programs or 

services. The CRDC does not include data 

on private preschool programs. 

School districts with public 

preschool programs

While one million children are served in 

public preschool programs nationwide, 

40% of districts report that they do not 

operate public preschool programs for 

children within their district. 

.

Part-day vs. full-day 

preschool

Of the nearly 10,000 school 

districts offering preschool

programs, 30% offer full-day 

preschool only, 57% offer partday preschool only, and 13% offer 

both full-day and part-day 

programs.

NOTE: Figure represents 9,939 school districts

that reported operating preschool programs.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, 

Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data 

Collection, 2011–12.

NOTE: Figure reflects public preschool programs operated 

by, or on behalf of, public school districts. The CRDC does 

not collect information related to the quality of public 

preschool programs. Figure represents 16,503 school 

districts.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil 

Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2011–12.

-
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Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

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Preschool eligibility criteria

Over half (55%) school districts operating public preschool programs explicitly make them available to all 

children in the district. An additional 25% of school districts target preschool programs to children from 

low-income families — which 

means that 80% of all of school 

districts make preschool available 

to all students or specifically target 

children from low-income families. 

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of 

school districts target preschool 

programs to children with 

disabilities; 13% target children in 

Title I schools; and 16% target 

children on some other basis (e.g., 

at-risk or other special need). 

Preschool discipline

Racial disparities in discipline begin in the earliest years of schooling. Black students represent 18% of 

preschool enrollment, but 42% of preschool students suspended once, and 48% of students suspended 

more than once. 

While boys represent 54% of the preschool population, they represent 79% of preschool children

suspended once and 82% of preschool children suspended multiple times. Girls who are black, Native 

Hawaiian, or other Pacific Islander represent a larger percentage (30% or more) of out-of-school 

suspensions within their racial or ethnic group than girls within other racial or ethnic groups.

NOTE: Figure represents 9,939 school districts that reported operating preschool 

programs. School districts could select eligibility for all children or any combination

of the remaining choices.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data 

Collection, 2011–12.

NOTE: Preschool suspensions were 

collected for the first time in the 2011–

12 CRDC. Detail may not sum to 100% 

due to rounding. Figure represents 99% 

of schools with preschool students 

enrolled. It also represents over 1 

million preschool students, nearly 5,000 

students suspended once, and over 2,500 

students suspended more than once.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of 

Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil 

Rights Data Collection, 2011–12.
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights 4

Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

March 21, 2014

CRDC data suggest that our nation’s preschools are not disproportionately suspending preschool students 

with disabilities or English learners. Students with disabilities (students served by IDEA) represent 22% 

of preschool enrollment, 19% of the students suspended once, and 17% of the students suspended more 

than once. 

NOTE: Preschool suspensions were collected for the first time in the 2011–12 CRDC. Detail may not sum to 100% due to rounding. Figure 

represents 99% of schools with preschool students enrolled.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2011–12.

English learners (i.e., Limited English Proficient or “LEP” children) represent 12% of preschool children, 

11% of students suspended once, and 9% of preschool students suspended more than once. 

NOTE: Preschool suspensions were collected for the first time in the 2011–12 CRDC. Detail may not sum to 100% due to rounding. 

Figure represents 99% of schools with preschool students enrolled.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2011–12.
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Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

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Kindergarten retention

More than 140,000 kindergarten students nationwide were held back a year in 2011–12, representing about 4% 

of all kindergarten students in public schools. Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander, American Indian, and 

Native Alaskan students are held back a year at nearly twice the rate of white children.

NOTE: Data in this figure represent 98.5% of schools in the CRDC universe that were matched to the National Center for Education Statistics

Common Core of Data grade-level enrollment data. Approximately 3.5 million kindergarten students are represented, including 39,000 students 

who are American Indian/Alaska Native; 150,000 students who are Asian; and 14,000 students who are Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2011–12; the National Center for Education 

Statistics Common Core of Data, “Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey,” 2011–12.

Boys represent 52% of kindergarten students and 61% of the kindergarten students retained. For each race or

ethnicity, more boys are retained in kindergarten than girls. Ten percent (10%) of Native Hawaiian and other 

Pacific Islander boys are retained in kindergarten.
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Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

March 21, 2014

Elementary school retention, by disability and English learner status

More than 450,000 elementary school students were held back a year in 2011–12, representing about 2% of all 

elementary school students. Nationwide, students with disabilities served by IDEA represent 14% of students 

enrolled and 17% of students retained in elementary schools. English learners represent 14% of students 

enrolled and 18% of students retained in elementary schools. 

NOTE: Figures represent 99% of the elementary schools in the CRDC; reflecting 22 million elementary school students and the 450,000

elementary school students retained. Elementary school is defined as schools with the highest grade of 6.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2011–12.
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Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

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EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: STATE-BY-STATE

For the first time since 2000, the 2011–12 CRDC included every public school and district in the nation, allowing 

more accurate depictions of statewide trends and inter-state disparities. The following tables provide state-level 

data on indicators related to preschool access and enrollment of English learners and students with disabilities. 

Here are select highlights:

Preschool Access

 States with the highest percentage of school districts operating preschool programs: Hawaii 

(100%),

1 Tennessee (98%), West Virginia (98%), Oklahoma (96%), and Kentucky (94%)

 States with the lowest percentage of school districts operating preschool programs: Oregon (14%), 

Wyoming (15%), Pennsylvania (16%), Montana (22%), and Arizona (29%)

 States (and D.C.) with the highest percentage of school districts offering full-day preschool 

programs only: Arkansas (97%), District of Columbia (97%), Louisiana (95%), North Carolina (91%), 

and Georgia (83%)

 States with the lowest percentage of school districts offering full-day preschool programs only or 

both full-day and part-day preschool programs: Oregon (0% for full-day; 11% for both), Idaho (4% 

for full-day; 4% for both), Alaska (6% for full-day; 9% for both), Nevada (7% for full-day; 7% for both), 

and Illinois (7% for full-day; 8% for both)

 States with the highest percentage of public preschool children with disabilities: Nevada (84%), 

Delaware (66%), Idaho (59%), Montana (54%), and Oregon (52%)

 States with the highest percentage of public preschool English learners: Texas (36%), Illinois 

(19%), Florida (18%), California (15%), and Oregon (15%)

Kindergarten Retention

• States with the highest kindergarten retention rates include: Arkansas (12%); Hawaii (12%)1; and 

Mississippi (8%) 

• States with the greatest gap between two different student racial/ethnic groups in kindergarten 

retention rates: District of Columbia (32 percentage point gap between American Indian/Alaska Native 

students and their white peers); Wyoming (29 percentage point gap between Native Hawaiian/Other 

Pacific Islander students and their white peers); Maryland (25 percentage point gap between Native 

Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students and their white peers); and North Dakota (23 percentage point

gap between Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students and their white peers)

1 Hawaii represents one school district. 
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Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

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Table 1. Percent of school districts operating preschool programs, by type of program 

and state: 2011–12

State

Percent of 

districts operating 

preschool

programs

Of the districts operating 

preschool programs, 

what percent offer fullday only?

Of the districts 

operating preschool

programs, what percent 

offer part-day only?

Of the districts 

operating preschool

programs, what percent 

offer both full-day and 

part-day?

UNITED STATES 60% 30% 57% 13%

Alabama 62% 70% 19% 11%

Alaska 65% 6% 85% 9%

Arizona 29% 16% 73% 10%

Arkansas 60% 97% 2% 1%

California 36% 13% 68% 19%

Colorado 82% 13% 65% 22%

Connecticut 82% 14% 56% 29%

Delaware 37% 13% 56% 31%

District of Columbia1 64% 97% 0% 3%

Florida 89% 53% 3% 44%

Georgia 91% 83% 4% 12%

Hawaii2 100% 0% 0% 100%

Idaho 65% 4% 91% 4%

Illinois 71% 7% 85% 8%

Indiana 54% 6% 80% 15%

Iowa 90% 23% 62% 15%

Kansas 87% 6% 81% 13%

Kentucky 94% 35% 61% 4%

Louisiana 72% 95% 0% 5%

Maine 59% 20% 77% 3%

Maryland 93% 15% 50% 35%

Massachusetts 68% 7% 50% 44%

Michigan 55% 21% 61% 18%

Minnesota 69% 20% 67% 13%

Mississippi 56% 82% 17% 1%

Missouri 77% 34% 55% 11%

Montana 22% 15% 83% 2%

North Carolina 51% 91% 3% 6%

North Dakota 47% 26% 73% 1%
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights 9

Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

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State

Percent of 

districts operating 

preschool 

programs

Of the districts operating 

preschool programs, 

what percent offer fullday only?

Of the districts 

operating preschool 

programs, what percent 

offer part-day only?

Of the districts 

operating preschool 

programs, what percent 

offer both full-day and 

part-day?

UNITED STATES 60% 30% 57% 13%

Nebraska 69% 11% 83% 6%

Nevada 75% 7% 87% 7%

New Hampshire 54% 1% 89% 10%

New Jersey 71% 23% 51% 26%

New Mexico 52% 25% 70% 5%

New York 50% 19% 69% 12%

Ohio 39% 18% 70% 12%

Oklahoma 96% 79% 15% 5%

Oregon 14% 0% 89% 11%

Pennsylvania 16% 48% 46% 6%

Rhode Island 64% 3% 69% 28%

South Carolina 91% 44% 18% 38%

South Dakota 65% 18% 79% 3%

Tennessee 98% 70% 21% 9%

Texas 85% 45% 47% 8%

Utah 34% 5% 85% 10%

Vermont 56% 11% 86% 3%

Virginia 81% 68% 14% 18%

Washington 78% 4% 86% 10%

West Virginia 98% 74% 6% 20%

Wisconsin 84% 17% 75% 7%

Wyoming 15% 38% 63% 0%

1 District of Columbia represents 47 school districts, including the District of Columbia Public Schools, charter school districts, and juvenile justice facilities 

that act as separate school districts.

2 Hawaii represents one school district.

NOTE: Across the nation, 23 school districts in 10 states reported offering preschool programs but did not provide complete information on the preschool 

program daily length (including Arizona, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and 

Texas). These school districts are included in the column reporting the percent of school districts offering preschool, but excluded from the denominator 

when reporting the percent of school district offering full-day and/or part-day preschool.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2011–12.
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Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

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Table 2. Number of preschool children enrolled in district-operated public preschool 

programs, by disability (IDEA) and English learner (LEP) status and state: 2011–12

State

Preschool children enrolled in 

district-operated public preschool 

programs

% Served by IDEA % LEP

UNITED STATES 1,427,947 22% 12%

Alabama 9,612 20% 2%

Alaska 3,110 33% 1%

Arizona 19,996 46% 2%

Arkansas 11,182 5% 2%

California 85,536 25% 15%

Colorado 31,902 22% 8%

Connecticut 18,122 25% 2%

Delaware 1,837 66% 1%

District of Columbia 10,665 7% 9%

Florida 57,286 29% 18%

Georgia 50,779 17% 1%

Hawaii 18,364 16% 12%

Idaho 3,711 59% 3%

Illinois 86,638 24% 19%

Indiana 16,061 45% 2%

Iowa 21,327 14% 1%

Kansas 18,293 31% 14%

Kentucky 32,378 30% 1%

Louisiana 31,260 12% 1%

Maine 4,466 5% 3%

Maryland 32,222 17% 9%

Massachusetts 31,472 31% 7%

Michigan 42,291 26% 4%

Minnesota 30,368 38% 4%

Mississippi 5,724 29% 2%

Missouri 32,358 28% 2%

Montana 1,186 54% 2%

Nebraska 12,510 34% 5%

North Carolina 25,078 20% 5%

North Dakota 2,175 50% 1%
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights 11

Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

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State Preschool children enrolled in 

district- operated public 

preschool programs

% Served by IDEA % LEP

UNITED STATES 1,427,947 22% 12%

Nevada 5,052 84% 1%

New Hampshire 4,008 43% 3%

New Jersey 48,186 21% 6%

New Mexico 8,765 46% 4%

New York 56,540 7% 2%

Ohio 33,313 36% 2%

Oklahoma 46,010 11% 8%

Oregon 3,740 52% 15%

Pennsylvania 13,988 9% 1%

Rhode Island 2,161 47% 3%

South Carolina 32,548 12% 8%

South Dakota 4,002 31% 0.4%

Tennessee 29,598 19% 1%

Texas 249,609 10% 36%

Utah 12,495 49% 1%

Vermont 2,986 18% 1%

Virginia 35,466 28% 4%

Washington 19,623 43% 3%

West Virginia 16,879 15% 0.5%

Wisconsin 54,445 18% 3%

Wyoming 624 2% 1%

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2011–12.
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Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

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Table 3. Percent of kindergarten students retained, by race and ethnicity and state: 

2011–12

State

All

students

American 

Indian/

Alaska

Native

Asian Native 

Hawaiian/

Other Pacific 

Islander

Black/

African 

American

Hispanic/

Latino of 

any race

Two or 

more 

races

White

UNITED STATES 4% 7% 2% 8% 5% 4% 5% 4%

Alabama 6% 8% 5% 14% 5% 9% 9% 5%

Alaska 4% 6% 4% 8% 2% 4% 3% 3%

Arizona 3% 5% 2% 7% 4% 3% 3% 3%

Arkansas 12% 11% 13% 14% 26% 13% 11% 8%

California 3% 9% 2% 5% 5% 3% 4% 4%

Colorado 2% 5% 2% 4% 2% 2% 3% 2%

Connecticut 5% 12% 3% 16% 8% 8% 8% 3%

Delaware 3% 5% 2% 0% 4% 4% 3% 2%

District of 

Columbia

3% 33% 2% 0% 4% 4% 3% 1%

Florida 5% 9% 3% 4% 7% 5% 7% 4%

Georgia 6% 4% 3% 11% 5% 7% 8% 5%

Hawaii 12% 21% 7% 13% 11% 14% 12% 13%

Idaho 2% 3% 3% 3% 1% 3% 1% 1%

Illinois 2% 2% 1% 2% 2% 1% 3% 2%

Indiana 5% 5% 3% 0% 6% 6% 6% 4%

Iowa 2% 11% 2% 3% 3% 4% 3% 2%

Kansas 2% 4% 2% 0% 2% 3% 2% 2%

Kentucky 4% 8% 3% 5% 2% 5% 5% 4%

Louisiana 4% 3% 2% 0% 5% 4% 4% 4%

Maine 4% 5% 4% 14% 6% 5% 5% 4%

Maryland 2% 0% 2% 27% 3% 4% 2% 2%

Massachusetts 3% 5% 3% 8% 5% 5% 7% 2%

Michigan 7% 12% 5% 7% 6% 9% 11% 6%

Minnesota 2% 7% 1% 11% 4% 3% 2% 2%

Mississippi 8% 10% 7% 5% 8% 14% 1% 8%

Missouri 3% 5% 2% 6% 4% 4% 4% 3%

Montana 4% 6% 0.0% 6% 4% 6% 4% 4%

Nebraska 4% 9% 2% 19% 3% 4% 4% 3%
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights 13

Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

March 21, 2014

State All

students 

American 

Indian/ 

Alaska 

Native

Asian Native 

Hawaiian/ 

Other Pacific 

Islander

Black/

African 

American

Hispanic/ 

Latino of 

any race

Two or 

more 

races

White

UNITED STATES 4% 7% 2% 8% 5% 4% 5% 4%

North Carolina 5% 9% 3% 5% 6% 5% 6% 4%

North Dakota 5% 8% 14% 27% 13% 10% 3% 4%

Nevada 2% 3% 1% 2% 4% 2% 1% 2%

New Hampshire 3% 0% 1% 0% 5% 5% 0% 3%

New Jersey 3% 6% 1% 3% 5% 4% 5% 2%

New Mexico 4% 6% 2% 0% 5% 4% 3% 4%

New York 3% 4% 2% 4% 4% 3% 3% 2%

Ohio 4% 6% 5% 6% 7% 7% 7% 3%

Oklahoma 7% 9% 5% 8% 8% 8% 6% 7%

Oregon 2% 7% 1% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%

Pennsylvania 2% 0.0% 1% 0% 3% 2% 2% 2%

Rhode Island 2% 16% 1% 0% 4% 3% 5% 1%

South Carolina 5% 6% 2% 3% 5% 5% 7% 4%

South Dakota 4% 12% 4% 0% 6% 7% 5% 3%

Tennessee 5% 3% 2% 15% 4% 5% 7% 5%

Texas 4% 6% 3% 8% 3% 4% 7% 5%

Utah 1% 1% 0.0% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%

Vermont 3% 0% 2% 0% 6% 0% 1% 3%

Virginia 4% 4% 2% 4% 5% 5% 4% 3%

Washington 2% 6% 1% 4% 2% 3% 2% 2%

West Virginia 6% 0.0% 3% 0% 7% 7% 7% 6%

Wisconsin 2% 2% 2% 6% 3% 2% 2% 2%

Wyoming 5% 10% 4% 33% 17% 7% 3% 4%

NOTE: Data in this table represent 98.5% of schools in the CRDC universe that were matched to the National Center for Education Statistics

Common Core of Data grade-level enrollment data. In nearly all states, the percent of schools reported as offering kindergarten on the CRDC and 

students enrolled in kindergarten for the Common Core of Data exceeded 95 percent. In four states, the match rate was slightly lower including 

Montana (91%), Alaska (92%), Minnesota (94%), and Wyoming (94%).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2011–12; the NCES Common Core of Data, 

“Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey,” 2011–12.
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Data Notes and Methodology

Since 1968, the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) has collected data on key education and civil rights issues 

from our nation's public schools for use by the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) Office for Civil 

Rights (OCR), other Department offices, other federal agencies, and by policymakers and researchers outside of 

the Department. The CRDC collects information about school characteristics and programs, services, and 

outcomes for students. Most student data are disaggregated by race/ethnicity, sex, limited English proficiency,

and disability. 

Schools and Districts 

The CRDC has generally been collected biennially from school districts in each of the 50 states, plus the District of 

Columbia. The 2011–12 CRDC included all public schools and public school districts in the nation that serve 

students for at least 50% of the school day. The CRDC also includes long-term secure juvenile justice agencies, 

schools for the blind and deaf, and alternative schools. The response rate for this large national collection was 

98.4% of school districts and 99.2% of schools, representing 99.6 % of students in the nation. 

Race and Ethnicity

For the 2011–12 CRDC, school districts reported data using the seven race and ethnicity categories (i.e., 

Hispanic/Latino, white, black/African American, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, American 

Indian/Alaska Native, and Two or More Races). For more information on the Department’s

2007 guidance regarding race and ethnicity categories, please visit:

http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rschstat/guid/raceethnicity/index.html.

Privacy Protection and Data Rounding

To ensure the protection of privacy while meeting the purposes of the CRDC, OCR conducted the analysis 

presented in this document on the privacy protected CRDC data. The CRDC data are privacy protected by 

rounding student counts in groups of three to prevent the disclosure of individual student information. For 

example, student counts from 1-3 are rounded to two, student counts from 4-6 are rounded to five. 

In previous years, OCR has rounded CRDC data to the nearest five. However, in collaboration with the 

Department’s Disclosure Review Board, OCR implemented a new rounding method for the 2011–12 CRDC to 

reveal true zeroes where possible and minimize the distortion of rounding. In general, for the 2011–12 CRDC 

data, the distortion of rounding one student to two would be balanced by the rounding down of three students to 

two. However, this new privacy protection method may inflate total counts for CRDC data elements in which 

there are prevalent cases of schools reporting only one student (e.g., one student retained is rounded to two 

students retained).

Limitations of CRDC Data

OCR strives to ensure CRDC data are an accurate and comprehensive depiction of student access to educational 

opportunities in school districts. The submission system includes a series of embedded edit checks to ensure 

significant data errors are corrected before the district submits its data. Additionally, each district is required to 

certify the accuracy of its submission. Only a district superintendent, or the superintendent’s designee, may 

certify the CRDC submission. Ultimately, the quality of the CRDC data depends on accurate collection and 

reporting by the participating districts.
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After reviewing the data, OCR is aware that inconsistencies may still remain in the data file. Users should be 

aware that outliers in the dataset may be a function of districts misreporting data. For example, outliers in the 

data on single-sex classes may be reporting the number of students enrolled in single-sex classes rather than the 

number of single-sex classes. In the analysis provided in this report, some schools and districts with potential 

reporting errors were excluded from the analysis. The number of schools included can be found in the notes 

section below each figure. 

Early Childhood Education

CRDC Definitions:

Note: The 2011–12 CRDC survey used the term “prekindergarten,” defined in a manner to be consistent with the 

common understanding of the term “preschool”; within this document, OCR has substituted “preschool” for 

“prekindergarten.”

 Preschool/Prekindergarten: Preschool is a program for children younger than kindergarten age. For the 

purposes of the CRDC, preschool includes early childhood or preschool programs or services. 

 Full-day Preschool/Prekindergarten: A full-day preschool program is a program in which a child attends 

school each weekday for approximately six hours or more.

 Preschool/Prekindergarten Out-of-School Suspension: Preschool out-of-school suspension is an instance 

in which a preschool child is temporarily removed from his/her regular school for disciplinary purposes 

to another setting (e.g., home, behavior center). For children with disabilities, this includes both 

removals in which no individualized education plan (IEP) or individualized family service plan (IFSP) 

services are provided because the removal is 10 days or less, as well as removals in which the child 

continues to receive services according to his/her IEP or IFSP.

Percent of School Districts Operating Preschool/Prekindergarten Programs: The CRDC collects 

information about whether a school district operates a preschool program. This does not include private 

preschool programs or preschool program not run by, or on behalf of, the school district. Additionally, some 

school districts are organized by elementary and secondary schools. Therefore, OCR would not expect all school 

districts to offer preschool programs. 

Preschool/Prekindergarten Program Daily Length: The CRDC collects information on the daily length of 

preschool programs operated by the school district. Some school districts offer both part-day and full-day 

preschool programs. A few school districts were excluded from this analysis due to possible reporting errors, 

such as reporting preschool programs but no students enrolled in those programs, or mistakenly reporting not 

operating a preschool program but also reporting offering a part-day preschool program. 

Preschool/Prekindergarten Eligibility: The CRDC collects information on whether the preschool services are 

provided to all children within the district or targeted groups of children. Of the preschool programs operated by 

school districts, 55% of those programs provided services to all children in the districts. The remaining 45% of 

the programs offered services to one or more groups of children.

Preschool/Prekindergarten Discipline: The 2011–12 CRDC was the first ever collection of preschool

suspension and expulsion data. Over 8,000 preschool students were reported as suspended at least once, out of 

more than 1 million preschool students enrolled. Because these data were collected for the first time, users 

should exercise caution when analyzing the data. Some schools reporting zeroes may have been unable to report 

complete suspension data. Additionally, a few schools reported more preschool students suspended than 

enrolled and were excluded from the analysis (1%). Finally, while the 2011–12 CRDC collected data on 

preschool expulsions, the national aggregate number is approximately 220. Since only a small number of schools 

reported preschool expulsions, this data is not included in this snapshot.
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Kindergarten Retention: This analysis combines data from multiple sources. Approximately 98.5% of CRDC 

schools were matched to schools in the Common Core of Data (CCD). The CCD provides a rich set of grade-level 

enrollments that are not collected by the CRDC. A few schools reported offering kindergarten on the CRDC, but 

reported no kindergarten student enrollments on the CCD. These schools were excluded from the analysis.

Additionally, a small number of schools reported retaining more kindergarten students on the CRDC than what 

was reported for kindergarten student enrollments on the CCD. These schools were also removed from the 

analysis. 

Elementary Retention: The retention analysis for elementary schools compares the enrollment in elementary 

schools to the students retained in grades K-6. Elementary school was defined as the highest grade of 6. There 

were over 48,000 elementary schools meeting this criterion in the CRDC. A small number of schools reported 

retaining more elementary students enrolled than retained. These schools were removed from the analysis. 

For more information about the CRDC, please visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/data.html.
U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights 17

Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (Early Childhood)

March 21, 2014

About the CRDC

Since 1968, the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), formerly the Elementary and Secondary School Survey, has collected 

data on key education and civil rights issues in our nation's public schools for use by the Department of Education’s Office 

for Civil Rights (OCR) in its enforcement and monitoring efforts regarding schools’ and districts’ obligation to provide 

equal educational opportunity. The CRDC is also a tool for other Department offices and federal agencies, policymakers 

and researchers, educators and school officials, and the public to analyze student equity and opportunity trends locally 

and nationwide. The CRDC database, with hundreds of data elements, is fully accessible to the public. All data presented 

are self-reported by school districts. For more information about the CRDC, please visit: http://ocrdata.ed.gov.

About the 2011–12 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC)

 For the first time since 2000, includes data from every public school in the nation (approximately 16,500 school 

districts, 97,000 schools, and 49 million students) 

 Includes traditional public schools (preschool through 12th grade), alternative schools, career and technical 

education schools, and charter schools

 Data for every public school disaggregated by race/ethnicity, English learner status, sex, and disability

 New for 2014: data for all schools now disaggregated by seven race and ethnicity categories, including NativeHawaiian, Pacific Islander, and multiracial students

 Measures student access to college- and career-preparatory science and math courses, AP courses and tests, 

SAT/ACT tests, gifted and talented programs, IB programs, preschool programs, and interscholastic athletics

 Tracks teacher and resource equity, including teacher experience and salary levels, other personnel and nonpersonnel expenditures, and access to school counselors

 Reveals school climate disparities related to student discipline, restraint and seclusion, retention, and bullying and 

harassment

United States Department of Education

Arne Duncan, Secretary

Catherine E. Lhamon, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

Lyndon Baines Johnson 

Department of Education Building 

400 Maryland Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20202-1100 

Telephone: 800-421-3481 

FAX: 202-453-6012 

TDD: 877-521-2172 

Email: OCR@ed.gov

http://www.ed.gov/ocr