CDE Data Requests

Non-PII Data Requests

For data that does not include Personally Identifiable Information (PII), please fill out the Non-PII Data Request Form.  Non-PII data is generally data reported at the school, district, or state level and which includes student counts of 16 or above and school and district employee counts of 5 or above.  Please note that CDE will suppress data with student counts of less than 16 and employee counts of less than 5 on all data provided in response to requests.  This is to ensure student and employee privacy is maintained.  

Please note that the standard fulfillment time for non-PII data requests ranges from ten days to two weeks. This timeframe is subject to change based on existing unit workloads and also the requirements of each data request.  If a CDE unit cannot complete a request within the standard fulfillment timeframe, a staff member should contact you within a week of the request to discuss what timeframe is feasible based upon both the details of the request and the unit's existing workload.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Data Requests

CDE is often asked to provide data about individual students or school district employees. CDE is restricted by federal and state law from providing individual-level data except under very specific circumstances. All requests for individual-level data will be thoroughly reviewed for alignment with applicable laws and CDE’s PII Protection Policy. Please see the policy for the definition of PII. All requests for individual-level data need to begin with the submission of the PII Data Request Form. 

• The review processes for external research requests are as follows:
  • Student data: External research requests for student PII will be reviewed according to the process explained in this PowerPoint.  Per Colorado’s Student Data Transparency and Security Act (C.R.S. 22-16-101 et.al), this process was approved by the State Board of Education on September 14, 2016.  
  • Educator data: External research requests for educator PII will be reviewed to determine:
    • Appropriate privacy considerations for the requested data. The combination of data elements requested, along with the data elements that are already publicly available, determines what privacy considerations are needed.
    • Availability of CDE resources for providing the requested data.
    • Alignment with Key Initiatives from CDE’s Strategic Plan.

To begin the PII data request process:

• Review the Research Data Sharing Agreement Template (Doc).  All requestors must be able to comply with our requirements.
• Please submit the PII Data Request Form.

Notes for PII Data Requests:

• The PII Data Request review process is extensive and can take upwards of 6-12 months.  
• CDE does not approve every request for PII that will be used for research purposes. As a result, we recommend that requestors not make any commitments to use CDE data prior to getting approval through this process.
• CDE will not provide student names for any research request.
• Individual-level data without names or student/educator ID numbers can still be identifiable. 
• A Data Sharing Agreement must be in place for all approved requests prior to the data request being fulfilled.  The process for completing and signing Data Sharing Agreements can take multiple months.
• For any research about the activities of a particular district, the district in question needs to provide a letter of support for or be a direct partner in the research. The district should also provide the data for their own students, or at least approve CDE’s provision of their data if CDE is providing other data related to the request, and provide implementation data for the activities of interest.
• Research projects should be narrowly focused and tightly defined. Project descriptions should have:
  • Clear and specific details about what information could be learned from the research and how it could be applied in other contexts, especially within and across Colorado.
  • Very specific research questions.
  • Clear rationale of why the specific data elements requested are necessary for the research. FERPA requires state agencies to share only the minimum data necessary for research projects. Data requested should be limited to exactly what is needed to answer very specific research questions.
  • Clear descriptions of methodology that explain all steps of the process and which are understandable to those who may not have a technical background.
• Any request, or component of a request, that requires a small number of districts' data will be referred to those districts. Requests to the state should be limited to those requests for which only the state would be able to provide the necessary data (e.g. requests for data for all districts or a majority of districts).

Submitting Data Requests

Please submit completed data request forms to the Data Sharing and Research Manager, Kathryn Wright, at DataRequests@cde.state.co.us.  Kathryn is also available at 720-610-4712 to answer questions about which form to complete or the data request process. 

Data questions and requests from the media should be directed to CDE's Communications Division

NOTE: This data request process is NOT an open records request. Open record requests begin with CDE's Communications Division.

Commonly requested data available on CDE’s website:

Accountability Data 

• Performance Snapshots - The Performance Snapshot provides an overview of key elements from the most recent District and School Performance Framework Reports and Unified Improvement Plans. This report is primarily designed for users with existing knowledge of the performance frameworks and improvement planning process, but provides a significant amount of explanatory information that may make it accessible to broader audiences. Use this tool to access reports for individual districts and schools.
• Performance Framework Reports and Unified Improvement Plans - District and School Performance Frameworks are used to determine performance ratings under the state accountability system. Unified Improvement Plans document the strategies that districts and schools implement as part of the continuous improvement cycle. Go here to access reports for individual districts and schools in PDF format. Reports for the current year and for prior years going back to 2010 are available.
• School and District Dashboards - The Dashboards are made up of a suite of reports that have been designed to support improvement planning efforts by districts and schools. The dashboards allow users to interact with graphs and tables showing demographic information along with performance data and ratings generated under the state accountability system. Use this online tool to view current information for individual schools and districts along with several years of historical data
• Colorado Growth Model Reports - Growth model reports provide access to Academic Growth metrics related to the CMAS English Language Arts & Math and Colorado PSAT/SAT assessments. The reports present metrics for a variety of grade levels and student groups and enable comparisons between schools and districts across the state. Users can access reports for individual schools and districts in PDF format, or explore results through an interactive reporting interface.
• State Accountability Data Explorer - Go here to access a repository of files containing performance framework information for all schools and districts in the state. Files include spreadsheets with current and historical performance framework results, along with copies of PowerPoint presentations and other reports presented to the State Board of Education.
• State Accountability Data Files - Go here to access a repository of files containing performance framework information for all schools and districts in the state. Files include spreadsheets with current and historical performance framework results, along with copies of PowerPoint presentations and other reports presented to the State Board of Education.

Assessment Data (Grades 3 – 12)

• CMAS – English Language Arts, Spanish Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies results
• CoAlt – English Language Arts and Math results.  Data is reported at the state level only due to privacy restrictions
• CoAlt – Science and Social Studies results . Data is reported at the state level only due to privacy restrictions
• PSAT results
• SAT results
• Data Lab – You can use this tool to query the state’s achievement data for the CMAS, CoAlt, PSAT, and SAT assessments as well as academic growth data.  Growth data is also available through the Accountability resources listed below.

Charter School Data

The page above includes links to the triennial State of Charter Schools in Colorado reports and other published reports.

• Charter schools and authorizers/districts
• Charter school student demographics
• Charter school enrollment

Colorado Education Statistics 

• Attendance data
• Dropout data
• Graduation and Completion data
• Mobility and stability data
• Pupil membership (i.e. pupil counts)
  • Includes data broken out by sub-group, including gender, race/ethnicity, Free and Reduced Lunch eligibility, and instructional program (e.g.,  English Language Learner status, Gifted and Talented status, Special Education status, etc.)
• School and district staff data
  • Includes average salary data, turnover rates, teacher counts, and student/teacher ratios
• Suspension and Expulsion data

*Please note that for the pages listed above, additional years of data may be posted on a separate page which can be accessed from the right-hand navigation menu

• A list of all Colorado Schools (XLS)
• A list of all Colorado School Districts (XLS)
• School district maps

Educator Data 

• Public Educator Search – You can use this tool to download a roster of educators by credential type or look up credential information by name or credential number.
• Educator Research and Impact Data
  • Colorado Education Workforce GIS Maps - The GIS maps have been created to simultaneously present several education datasets (including school and district staff employment, shortage areas, turnover, working conditions, grant funding, performance indicators and P-12 student demographics) and economic data (including unemployment rates and median local income).  Visually presenting these datasets by district and school via Colorado "heat maps" provides a strong picture of the complexity of and variation in educator workforce issues.
  • Educator Effectiveness Metrics
  • Educator Preparation Programs Report including educator preparation pipeline data and connecting teacher outcomes to their Colorado preparation program
  • Educator Shortage Survey results
• Also see school and district staff data listed in the Colorado Education Statistics section above

Facilities Data (from the Capital Construction Unit)

• Facilities Insight Dashboard - This tool provides an overview of facility condition and adequacy data collected during on-site facility condition assessments.

Federal Programs Data

• The page above includes federally mandated reports as well as reporting, such as program evaluations, on various federal programs.
  • ESSA State Report
  • ESSA School and District Reports
  • Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR) submitted to the U.S. Department of Education pertaining to various programs funded by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
  • Program Evaluations
  • Schools identified for support and improvement under the Every Student Succeeds Act
  • List of Title I Schools in the State

Elementary Literacy and School Readiness Data  

• Colorado Preschool Program (CPP)
  • CPP legislative reports
  • CPP position allocations
• Preschool special education outcomes (OSEP Indicator B7)
  • Local report of summary statement data
  • Administrative Unit State Performance Plan Indicator Profiles
• CAP4K/Kindergarten School Readiness legislative report
• Literacy Curriculum Transparency Dashboard - This dashboard provides state, district, school, and grade level literacy instructional programming information related to the Colorado READ Act.
• READ Act Dashboard - An interactive data tool to explore READ Act assessment results.
• READ Act legislative reports

School Finance Data

• Financial Transparency  - You can use this tool to explore revenue and expenditure information for each school, district, and BOCES throughout Colorado.
• School District Revenues and Expenditures – These annual reports have revenues and expenditures data for school districts, charter school collaborative, and Boards of Cooperative Services (BOCES).

School Nutrition Data

The page above includes links to frequently requested data related to school nutrition programs, meal counting and claiming data, and School Food Authorities (SFAs) and Sponsor information.

Special Education Data 

• The page above includes Special Education data provided at the state level as well as some data at the Administrative Unit level. All counts of 16 or less have been suppressed to protect student privacy.
  • Administrative Unit State Performance Plan Indicator Profiles