DataQuest Update, Issue #17

November 9, 2023

DataQuest is the California Department of Education’s (CDE) public data reporting web site that provides meaningful data and statistics about California’s K-12 public education system that supports a wide variety of informational, research, and policy needs. The purpose of the DataQuest Update is to provide: (1) announcements regarding public data releases and availability; (2) general information and analysis on various data reporting topics; and (3) practical tips on how to effectively use DataQuest to obtain information. For questions regarding DataQuest, please submit an email to dataquest@cde.ca.gov.

New Homeless Student Enrollment by Dwelling Type Report on DataQuest

The CDE is pleased to announce the release of a new Homeless Student Enrollment (HSE) by Dwelling Type report on DataQuest along with a supporting downloadable data file. The HSE report was developed in response to requests from educators, policy makers, and stakeholders across the state to provide important information about the experiences of homeless students. The HSE report provides a total count of all students who were cumulatively enrolled during the academic year (AY) and, of those students, the number and percent who were reported as being homeless at some point during that time (July 1 – June 30) by the most recently reported dwelling type (i.e., dwelling, structure, or location).

The homeless student data displayed in the HSE report are submitted by local educational agencies (LEAs) through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) under the authority of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act) (42 United States Code § 11431-11435), as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015). Additionally, the data reporting categories and student groups included in the DataQuest HSE report largely align with the annual data submitted to the U.S. Department of Education through EDPass (FS118 – Homeless Students Enrolled) pursuant to the requirements of the EDFacts Initiative.

Dwelling Type Definitions

The DataQuest HSE reports show the percentage of homeless student enrollment by dwelling type. Dwelling Type is defined as the most recently reported dwelling, structure, or location where a homeless student resides during the academic year. For the purposes of this report, the following Dwelling Type definitions apply:

• Temporarily Doubled Up: A temporary residence where a homeless family is sharing the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing, economic hardship, or other similar reasons. On the report, data in this column represent the percentage/number of the Homeless Student Enrollment whose Dwelling Type was reported as being Temporarily Doubled Up.
  
  
• Temporary Shelters: A temporary residence provided for homeless individuals who would otherwise sleep on the street, or a temporary residence provided to individuals in emergency situations. This should not be used for children who are in temporary residences awaiting permanent placement in foster care. On the report, data in this column represent the percentage/number of the Homeless Student Enrollment whose Dwelling Type was reported as being Temporary Shelters.
  
  
• Hotels/Motels: A temporary residence for homeless individuals usually requiring payment or vouchers for lodging and services on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. On the report, data in this column represent the percentage/number of the Homeless Student Enrollment whose Dwelling Type was reported as being Hotels/Motels.
  
  
• Temporarily Unsheltered: A type of residence for homeless individuals that is not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings, campgrounds, trailer parks, bus and train stations, or persons abandoned in the hospital (on the street). A rule of thumb would be to see the dwelling as comparable to an automobile in that it shelters but is not adequate housing. On the report, data in this column represent the percentage/number of the Homeless Student Enrollment whose Dwelling Type was reported as being Temporarily Unsheltered.
  
  
• Missing/Unknown: No dwelling type reported for the homeless student. On the report, data in this column represent the percentage/number of the Homeless Student Enrollment whose Dwelling Type was not reported or is unknown.

Detailed information about the HSE reports is available on the Information about the Homeless Student Enrollment Report web page, including data sources, DataQuest reports, downloadable files, definitions, and other information helpful to understanding the data.

Release of New and Updated Data Reports on DataQuest

The CDE has recently released the following DataQuest reports:

2019–20 through 2021–22 Homeless Student Enrollment by Dwelling Type (NEW)

• Homeless Student Enrollment by Dwelling Type
• Homeless Student Enrollment by Dwelling Type (with County Data)

2022–23 Absenteeism Reports

• Chronic Absenteeism Rate
• Absenteeism by Reason

Other Reports

• 2021–22 California Healthy Kids Survey
• 2021–22 California School Staff Survey

How to Access Data

Users may access these reports by performing the following steps:

• Navigate to the DataQuest Homepage
• Select the desired Level (State, County, District, or School)
  • Select desired report from drop down menu
• Select "Submit"
• Select the desired Year
  • 2022–23
• Select "Submit"
• Select desired report from the menu

Alternatively, the DataQuest reports included in this release are also accessible through the Data Reports by Topic web page.

Many of the reports listed above include Report Description, Report Glossary, and, where applicable, Report Filters and Options sections. To change the way the data are displayed in the report, open the expandable (+) Report Options and Filters section. Within this area, users can apply a variety of data filters. Additionally, users can apply one or more filters simultaneously to view data in a variety of configurations. Applied filters are viewable in the "Filters Enabled" section above each report where the filters can also be reset.

Supporting Downloadable Data Files

As part of this DataQuest report release, the CDE is providing supporting downloadable data files for the above reports which can be found on the Downloadable Data Files by Topic web page. Please refer to the File Structure web pages for important details about the associated data files, including the data layout, which data are contained in the file, data element definitions, and the levels at which data are provided (e.g., state, county, district, and school levels).

Upcoming Data Releases

The CDE anticipates the upcoming public release of the following DataQuest reports:

• 2022–23 Four-Year and Five-Year Cohort Graduation Rate Data
• 2022–23 Suspension and Expulsion Rate Data
• 2022–23 Stability Rate Data
• 2022–23 Cumulative Enrollment Data File
• 2022–23 Restraint and Seclusion Data File
• New 2022–23 Students with Disabilities Enrollment by Program Setting
• New Staff Demographic, Experience, and Education Data (multiple years)
• New Annual Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) Counts and Rates (multiple years)

DataQuest Listserv Information

To subscribe to the DataQuest listserv, submit a blank email to: subscribe-dataquest@mlist.cde.ca.gov.
To unsubscribe to the DataQuest listserv, submit a blank email to: unsubscribe-dataquest@mlist.cde.ca.gov