National Center for Education Statistics

What National Center for Education Statistics does

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal statistical agency of the United States, established in 1867 and operating as a component of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education, headquartered at 400 Maryland Ave SW in Washington, D.C. The agency collects, analyzes, and disseminates data on the condition of U.S. education from early childhood through adult education, operating more than 40 surveys and programs including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) covering 6,000+ postsecondary institutions, the Common Core of Data (CCD) covering approximately 100,000 public schools and 18,000 districts, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP / "The Nation's Report Card") in operation since 1969, longitudinal studies such as the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), and international assessments including TIMSS, PIRLS, PISA, and PIAAC.

NCES distributes its data through web-based platforms including the nces.ed.gov portal, the IPEDS Data Explorer and Data Trends tools, DataLab for online analysis, the College Navigator for institutional comparison, the International Data Explorer for cross-national assessment data, and the Bibliography Search Tool for journal article citations across 18 research programs. A Restricted-Use Data Licensing Program provides qualified researchers with access to individually identifiable microdata under confidentiality protections. The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program has awarded grants to 41 states and the District of Columbia to support state-level longitudinal data infrastructure.

The agency is funded through congressional appropriations rather than commercial revenue and provides all data products, tools, and publications free of charge to federal and state agencies, academic researchers, educational institutions, and the general public. As of 2025, NCES is undergoing significant workforce reductions under Trump administration Department of Government Efficiency cuts, with staff reportedly reduced from hundreds to fewer than 20 employees (and as few as 3 per some reports), stalling multiple programs including the What Works Clearinghouse, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, and Regional Education Labs. NCES also faces active legal challenges to its ACTS survey mandate, with federal courts in Massachusetts issuing preliminary injunctions against enforcement on the grounds that the survey was adopted in an arbitrary and capricious manner.

Name

National Center for Education Statistics

Legal name

National Center for Education Statistics

Website

https://nces.ed.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1867

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the U.S. federal statistical agency, established in 1867, that collects, analyzes, and disseminates data on U.S. education from early childhood through adult education, serving federal and state agencies, academic researchers, 6,000+ postsecondary institutions, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Statistics and Federal Statistical Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Program Monitoring & Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Services (EDACAKAL)

Keywords

• Education statistics
• Federal data collection
• Educational assessment programs
• Postsecondary education data
• Longitudinal education studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Appropriation: NCES operates as a federal agency within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, funded through congressional appropriations. The organization conducts mandated statistical activities including data collection, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. education statistics.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NCES collects, analyzes, and disseminates comprehensive statistical data on the condition of U.S. education from early childhood through adult education. It operates more than 40 surveys and programs including IPEDS, NAEP, CCD, ECLS, NTPS, TIMSS, and PIAAC, and delivers outputs through web-based data tools (DataLab, College Navigator, International Data Explorer), dashboards, and publications. All products are provided free of charge as a federal statistical service.

Product overview

NCES is a federal statistical agency (established 1867) operating as a component of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education. The organization employs a platform-plus-programs architecture consisting of major longitudinal surveys and assessment programs (IPEDS, NAEP, TIMSS, ECLS, NTPS, PIAAC, CCD), web-based data access tools (DataLab, College Navigator, International Data Explorer, IPEDS Data Explorer), and a restricted-use data licensing program for confidential microdata. The portfolio includes data collection across all education levels from early childhood through adult education, international assessments, and geographic/demographic data tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IPEDS: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System - primary source for information on U.S. colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutions
• TIMSS
• International Data Explorer
• College Navigator
• NAEP
• NCES Bibliography Search Tool

Products and services

• Common Core of Data (CCD) A comprehensive annual national database covering all approximately 100,000 public elementary and secondary schools and approximately 18,000 public school districts in the United States. It serves federal and state education agencies, researchers, and policymakers who require standardized data on public K-12 education.
• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) The primary source for information on U.S. colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutions, covering more than 6,000 Title IV institutions with data on enrollment, graduation rates, student demographics, institutional finances, and employees. Used by postsecondary institutions for mandatory reporting and by researchers and the public for institutional comparison.
• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Provides important information about student academic achievement and learning experiences in various subjects, known as The Nation's Report Card. Results are available for the nation, states, and 27 urban districts, and serve policymakers, researchers, educators, and the public.
• Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS)

Quantifiable outcome

• Comprehensive coverage of approximately 100,000 public schools, 18,000 school districts, and 6,000+ postsecondary institutions

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEA serves as the international coordinating body for TIMSS studies. IEA is an independent international cooperative of national research institutions and government agencies with nearly 70 member countries worldwide, with a permanent secretariat based in Amsterdam and another office in Hamburg.
• TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center at Boston CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirects the TIMSS studies at the international level including design, operations, analysis, and reporting. Works with National Research Coordinators to design and implement assessments, assure quality control and international comparability, and report results.
• RTI InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationData collection and analysis contractor in the United States for TIMSS 2023. RTI worked with National Research Coordinators on all phases of sampling activities to ensure compliance with sampling and participation requirements.
• Measurement, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationData scoring and coding contractor in the United States for TIMSS 2023.
• AnlarcoreTechnology or IntegrationAnalysis, reporting, and dissemination contractor in the United States for TIMSS 2023.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides management, technical, analytical, reporting and dissemination support in the United States for TIMSS.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Science Foundation - National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics: NCSES is the federal statistical agency within NSF collecting data on U.S. science, technology, and STEM education/workforce. Highly comparable in mandate, longitudinal survey programs (e.g., Survey of Earned Doctorates), and principal statistical agency status.
• UNESCO Institute for Statistics: UIS is the official statistical arm of UNESCO, collecting global education data comparable to NCES but at the international level. Directly comparable as an education-focused statistical agency producing cross-national datasets, indicators, and assessments.
• U.S. Census Bureau: U.S. federal statistical agency conducting decennial census and ongoing demographic/economic surveys. Comparable as a Principal Statistical Agency with mandated data collection, public dissemination, and educational demographic products that NCES relies on (e.g., EDGE program uses Census ACS data).
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: U.S. federal statistical agency collecting, analyzing, and disseminating labor economics data. Closely comparable in structure, mandate, and operational model to NCES as a sister Principal Federal Statistical Agency under OMB statistical policy directives.
• National Center for Health Statistics: CDC's National Center for Health Statistics is the U.S. federal statistical agency for health, with a parallel "National Center for X Statistics" mandate structure. Directly comparable as a domain-specific federal statistical agency with longitudinal surveys, assessments, and public data tools.

Regional players

• Statistics Canada: Canada's national statistical agency collecting education, labor, and demographic data with comparable survey infrastructure (e.g., Postsecondary Student Information System). Functions as NCES's closest foreign counterpart by structure.
• Eurostat: Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union, collecting and publishing comparable EU-wide education and social statistics. Operates a parallel mandate to NCES but in a different geography (EU rather than U.S.) with similar longitudinal data products.

Emerging players

• National Student Clearinghouse Research Center: Nonprofit provider of postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion data covering nearly every U.S. college. Increasingly seen as a complementary/alternative postsecondary data source to IPEDS with broader institutional coverage in some dimensions.
• RAND Corporation Education Division: Major U.S. education policy research organization producing longitudinal studies, program evaluations, and assessments. Comparable in producing evidence-based education research and policy analysis, though as a nonprofit rather than federal statistical agency.

Broad incumbents

• OECD Directorate for Education and Skills: OECD administers PISA, TALIS, and PIAAC international assessments in which NCES participates. Comparable as a producer of comparable cross-national education statistics and policy indicators, though broader in scope (also covers labor, skills, and education policy analysis).

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ednces

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Center for Education Statistics