Chicago Public Schools Data

Identified data are available to researchers by application. Researchers must submit an External Data Request Form for Research or Program Evaluation Data to the CPS Office of Accountability. Applications are reviewed by the ​​ Research Manager and Data Team. The use of this form is reserved for CPS partners working in collaboration with the district, which can include program providers seeking data for funding continuation or evaluating program implementation, or Research Review Board (RRB) approved researchers. Graduate students must complete the Graduate Student Research Screening Form before applying to conduct research or requesting data, and they may only proceed with the RRB application process after receiving clearance.

As part of the application process and as required by the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), researchers must obtain prior written informed consent from students (or the parents of students less than 18 years of age) and staff for whom they are requesting identifiable data.  See page 6 of the RBB Guidelines for CPS’s definition of identifiable data and page 14 of the RBB Guidelines for CPS’s informed consent requirements. In order to obtain access to student- or staff-level data, researchers must also sign a Data Security Agreement, which identifies requirements for the storage, use, maintenance, protection, dissemination, and destruction of the data. 

Aggregate level, de-identified data is available publicly without obtaining parental consent or RBB approval through the school data page and City of Chicago’s Data Portal. If researchers wish to conduct primary research (i.e., research which involves data collection from participants) there is a longer process when compared to requesting administrative data. See page 7 of the RRB Guidelines for details.