Appendix B: Common Core of Data Glossary

Items in boldface are defined in this glossary.

A | B | C | E | F | H | I | K | L | M | O | P | R | S | T | U | V

added school

A school that is reported for the first time although it has been in operation for more than one year.

alternative education school

A public elementary/secondary school that (1) addresses needs of students that typically cannot be met in a regular school, (2) provides nontraditional education, (3) serves as an adjunct to a regular school, or (4) falls outside the categories of regular, special education, or vocational education.

Bureau of Indian Education schools and districts

A school or district that is directly funded by the Bureau of Indian Education (formerly Bureau of Indian Affairs), U.S. Department of the Interior.

changed agency school

A school that is affiliated with a different local education agency than was reported on the previous year's CCD.

charter school

A school that provides free public elementary and/or secondary education to eligible students under a specific charter granted by the state legislature or other appropriate authority and that is designated by such authority to be a charter school. Charter schools can be administered by regular school districts, state education agencies (SEAs), or chartering organizations.

elementary/secondary education

Programs providing instruction, or assisting in providing instruction, for students in prekindergarten, kindergarten, grades 1 through 12, and ungraded programs.

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free and reduced-price lunch eligible

The number of students who are eligible for the Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Program under the National School Lunch Act, which provides cash subsidies for free and reduced-price lunches to students based on family size and income.

full-time equivalent (FTE)

The amount of time required to perform an assignment stated as a proportion of a full-time position and computed by dividing the amount of time employed by the time normally required for a full-time position.

future school

A school that is scheduled to be operational within two years.

high school

A school offering a low grade of 7 or higher and a high grade of 12.

inactive school

A school that is temporarily closed and expected to reopen within three years.

kindergarten

A group or class that is part of a public school program and is taught during the year preceding first grade.

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large city

A principal city of a Metropolitan Core-based Statistical Area with the city having a population of 250,000 or more.

large town

An incorporated place or Census-designated place with a population of 25,000 or more that is located outside a Metropolitan Core-based Statistical Area or inside a Micropolitan Core-based Statistical Area.

local education agencies (LEAs)

Those agencies at the local level whose primary responsibility is to operate public schools or to contract for public school services.

magnet school

Regardless of the source of funding, a magnet school or program is a special school or program designed to attract students of different racial/ethnic backgrounds for the purpose of reducing, preventing, or eliminating racial isolation and/or to provide an academic or social focus on a particular theme.

mid-size city

A central city of a Metropolitan Core-based Statistical Area with the city having a population of less than 250,000.

middle school

A school offering a low grade of 4 to 7 and a high grade of 9 or lower.

other instructional level school

A school offering a grade span that is not included in primary, middle, or high school definitions.

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prekindergarten student

A student who is enrolled in a group or class that is part of a public school program taught during the year or years preceding kindergarten, excluding Head Start students, unless Head Start is part of an authorized public education program of an LEA.

primary school

A school offering a low grade of prekindergarten to 3 and a high grade of 8 or lower.

public school

An institution that provides education services and has one or more grade groups (prekindergarten through grade 12) or is ungraded; has one or more teachers to give instruction; is located in one or more buildings or sites; has an assigned administrator; receives public funds as primary support; and is operated by an education agency.

regular school

A public elementary/secondary school providing instruction and education services that does not focus primarily on special education, vocational/technical education, or alternative education, or on any of the particular themes associated with magnet/special program emphasis schools.

rural, inside a Core-based Statistical Area

An incorporated place, Census designated place, or non-place territory within a Metropolitan Core-based Statistical Area that is defined as rural by the Census Bureau.

rural, outside a Core-based Statistical Area

An incorporated place, Census designated place, or non-place territory not within a Metropolitan Core-based Statistical Area or within a Metropolitan Core-based Statistical Area that is defined as rural by the Census Bureau.

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small town

An incorporated place or Census-designated place with a population less than 25,000 and at least 2,5000 that is located outside a Metropolitan Core-based Statistical Area or inside a Micropolitan Core-based Statistical Area.

special education school

A public elementary/secondary school that (1) focuses primarily on special education, including instruction for any of the following: hard of hearing, deaf, speech impaired, health impaired, orthopedically impaired, mentally retarded, seriously emotionally disturbed, multi-handicapped, visually handicapped, and deaf and blind; and (2) adapts curriculum, materials, or instruction for students served.

student membership

Annual headcount of students enrolled in school on October 1 or the school day closest to that date. In any given year, some small schools will not have any students.

teacher

A professional school staff member who instructs students in prekindergarten, kindergarten, grades 1 through 12, or ungraded classes and maintains daily student attendance records.

Title I school

A Title I school is a school designated under appropriate state and federal regulations as being high poverty and eligible for participation in programs authorized by Title I of P.L. 107-110. A Title I school is one in which the percentage of children from low-income families is at least as high as the percentage of children from low-income families served by the LEA as a whole or that the LEA has designated as Title I eligible because 35 percent or more of the children are from low-income families.

Title I schoolwide

A program in which all the students in a school are designated under appropriate state and federal regulations as eligible for participation in Title I programs authorized by Title I of P.L. 107-110.

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ungraded

A class that is not organized on the basis of grade grouping and has no standard grade designation. This includes regular classes that have no grade designations and special classes for exceptional students that have no grade designations. Such a class is likely to contain students of different ages who, frequently, are identified according to level of performance in one or more areas of instruction rather than according to grade level or age level.

urban fringe of a large city

Any incorporated place, Census designated place, or non-place territory within a Core-based Statistical Area of a large city, and defined as urban by the Census Bureau.

urban fringe of a mid-size city

Any incorporated place, Census designated place, or nonplace territory within a Core-based Statistical Area of a mid-size city, and defined as urban by the Census Bureau.

vocational education school

A public elementary/secondary school that focuses primarily on vocational, technical, or career education, and provides education and training in one or more semiskilled or technical occupations.

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