The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity in the United States for collecting and analyzing data related to education. NCES is part of the U.S. Department of Education and is a center under the Institute of Education Sciences, the latter of which is the independent, nonpartisan statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. The work of the NCES is divided into its divisions for assessments, sample surveys, and administrative data. NCES collects data at all levels of education from early childhood through postsecondary education and provides access to the data through both public and restricted use licenses. This entry discusses the origin, purpose, organization, and activities of the NCES.

Since 1870, the U.S. federal government has collected ...