The release omitted the standard "First Look Report," providing only raw data files for public access. This departure from typical procedure limits immediate analysis by advocates and researchers who rely on summarized statistics to identify trends in school discipline and resource allocation.

Catherine Lhamon, former Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, noted the technical effort involved in producing the dataset despite the omissions. "I'm glad that the Office for Civil Rights did still collect the data and did still clean it up and publish it for data scientists," Lhamon said. She added that the format limits its utility for community advocacy. "But it didn't make it usable for somebody's mom to be able to see what's happening in a school community, advocate with a school board, compare the school community experience to another district or other states in the country," Lhamon said.

Ivy Morgan, Director of P-12 Research and Data Analytics, criticized the decision to withhold summarized statistics. "The public has come to expect that CRDC releases include easily digestible national statistics that showcase disparities in discipline, access to advanced coursework, and more," Morgan said. She characterized the move as part of a broader administrative strategy. "Hiding the data this way is part of this administration's pattern of attacking research, data and evidence," Morgan said.

Daniel Losen, a civil rights lawyer, emphasized the historical value of the collection for identifying systemic issues. "I've used the CRDC in my work with districts who have been asked to address very large disparities in school discipline," Losen said. He cited specific resource imbalances revealed by past collections. "Thousands of schools have cops but no counselors," Losen said.

The Office for Civil Rights staff was reduced by half after the second Trump administration took office. The administration also announced plans to move the Office for Civil Rights to the Justice Department. On the same day as the data release, the Justice Department announced a federal lawsuit against the school system in Kansas City, Kansas, over its policies on transgender students. The Williams Institute identified around 360 cases where the Trump administration removed information related to sexual orientation or gender identity from federal data collections.

Why It Matters

The suppression of gender identity data affects the ability of researchers and advocates to monitor disparities in school discipline and safety. With roughly 1,800 districts previously reporting such data, the removal of these metrics obscures trends affecting transgender and nonbinary students. The lack of a "First Look Report" further complicates immediate analysis, requiring substantial technical resources to interpret the raw files.

This release fits a documented pattern of data suppression identified by the Williams Institute, which recorded around 360 similar instances under the Trump administration. The simultaneous reduction of Office for Civil Rights staff and plans to transfer its functions to the Justice Department indicate structural changes in how civil rights enforcement is managed. These factors combine to limit public accessibility to information that has historically supported local advocacy and policy reform.

Timeline

On January 1, 2012, Russlynn Ali said in a 2012 statement, "Transparency is the first step toward reform and for districts that want to do the right thing, the CRDC is an incredible source of information that shows them where they can improve and how to get better." The survey for the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection was sent to schools on December 20, 2024, one month before President Trump's inauguration. The Civil Rights Data Collection was scheduled for publication at the end of 2025 according to the agency's deadline.

On September 4, 2026, the U.S. Education Department published the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection on its website. On the same date, the Education Department suppressed data regarding nonbinary students in all 37 files of the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection. Also on September 4, 2026, the Education Department suppressed data on allegations of harassment or bullying based on gender identity in schools. The department also suppressed data on whether school districts had written policies prohibiting harassment based on gender identity on that date. The 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection was released without a "First Look Report," providing only raw data files on September 4, 2026.

What's New

Additional reporting indicates that the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection included "nonbinary" as a gender category alongside male and female. Data related to gender identity in the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection was replaced with a code indicating "Suppressed in Compliance with Executive Order." Roughly 1,800 out of more than 13,000 U.S. school districts reported data on transgender and nonbinary students in the last collection.

The Education Department suppressed data on whether school districts had written policies prohibiting harassment based on gender identity. Research titled Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Compliance Report, Fall 1994 was published in 2000 in ICPSR Data Holdings. The Health and Human Services Department published notice titled Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: Bureau of Health Workforce Performance Data Collection, OMB No. 0906-0086-Revision on September 8, 2026.

How Sources Differ

An Education Department spokesperson stated, "The Department released the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), and it can be found here." However, the U.S. Education Department Civil Rights Data Collection 2023-24 files show that the Education Department suppressed data regarding nonbinary students in all 37 files of the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection. The U.S. Education Department Civil Rights Data Collection 2023-24 survey instrument indicates that the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection included "nonbinary" as a gender category alongside male and female, while the files show that the Education Department suppressed data regarding nonbinary students in all 37 files of the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection. The U.S. Education Department Civil Rights Data Collection release states that the U.S. Education Department published the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection on its website, yet the files confirm that the Education Department suppressed data regarding nonbinary students in all 37 files of the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection. The U.S. Education Department internal deadline schedule notes that the Civil Rights Data Collection was scheduled for publication at the end of 2025 according to the agency's deadline, whereas the files show that the Education Department suppressed data regarding nonbinary students in all 37 files of the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection. The U.S. Education Department publication schedule states that the U.S. Education Department typically releases Civil Rights Data Collection data every two years, while the files indicate that the Education Department suppressed data regarding nonbinary students in all 37 files of the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection. The U.S. Education Department Civil Rights Data Collection previous cycle summary reports that roughly 1,800 out of more than 13,000 U.S. school districts reported data on transgender and nonbinary students in the last collection, contrasting with the files showing that the Education Department suppressed data regarding nonbinary students in all 37 files of the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection. The U.S. Education Department Civil Rights Data Collection 2023-24 survey instrument notes that the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection introduced new data fields including teacher retention, preschool evaluations for English-learner or disability status, and student access to Wi-Fi devices, while the files show that the Education Department suppressed data regarding nonbinary students in all 37 files of the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection. The U.S. Education Department Civil Rights Data Collection release states that the U.S. Education Department published the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection on its website, while federalregister.gov notes that the Health and Human Services Department published notice titled Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: Bureau of Health Workforce Performance Data Collection, OMB No. 0906-0086-Revision on September 8, 2026.