Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Specification for Identifying and Reporting

Specifications for identifying and reporting eligible immigrant students.

Definition of Immigrant Children and Youth

Eligible Immigrant Student Sections 3201(1)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act, define immigrant children and youth as individuals who:

  1. are aged three through twenty-one;
  2. were not born in any state; and
  3. have not been attending one or more schools in any one or more states for more than three full academic years.

Section 3201(13) of the ESEA defines "state" as each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

All county offices of education, school districts, and directly funded charter schools will enter their number of immigrant students into the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Only private schools complete the Student National Origin Report (SNOR).

SNOR Form

All private schools are asked to submit the SNOR report annually through the California Department of Education (CDE) SNOR Online Reporting web page. Private schools should use the identified immigrant student counts taken on the first Wednesday in October 2023 for this data collection. The reporting window for the 2023–24 SNOR is January 16, 2024, through February 29, 2024.

Private schools located within the geographic jurisdiction of a local educational agency (LEA) that is participating in a Title III Immigrant Student Program subgrant may participate in the Title III Immigrant Student Program, and receive equitable services (Title III funded products and services) from the LEA.

Additional Information and Technical Assistance

Assistance regarding the CALPADS may be found in the CALPADS Data Guide. The CALPADS Data Guide, a guidance document for LEAs regarding the collection and submission of data, is located on the CDE CALPADS System Documentation web page.

Additional assistance with the SNOR and related immigrant education program issues can be obtained by contacting Geoffrey Ndirangu, Education Programs Consultant, Language Policy and Leadership Office, at 916-323-5831 or by email at gndirang@cde.ca.gov. Information and instructions are also available on the CDE SNOR web page.

Questions:   Language Policy & Leadership Office | 916-319-0845
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Recently Posted in Multilingual Learners
  • TK Guidance Letter (added 24-Jun-2024)
    Interim Guidance on Transitional Kindergarten Students and English Language Proficiency Testing
  • Title III EL and Immigrant Program 2024-25 Letter (added 18-Jun-2024)
    Letter regarding the Title III English Learner and Immigrant Student Program Subgrant Administration and Eligibility for Fiscal Year 2024-25.
  • September 26, 2017, Public Meeting Notice (added 18-Jun-2024)
    Public Meeting Notice for the September 26, 2017, English Learner Roadmap meeting.
  • Ed.G.E. Initiative FAQ (added 18-Jun-2024)
    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the California Education for a Global Economy (Ed.G.E.) Initiative.
  • Transitional Bilingual Program (added 18-Jun-2024)
    Transitional Bilingual is a language acquisition program for English learners (EL) students that provides instruction to pupils that utilizes English and a pupil’s native language for literacy and academic instruction.