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Education Department releases school civil rights data while suppressing gender identity metrics

The delayed 2023-24 survey omits summary reports and redacts statistics on nonbinary students and harassment.

Updated Sep 4, 2026 · 22:26 UTC3 reports

The short version

  • The U.S. Education Department published the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection without its standard summary report after missing its original deadline.[NPR · Associated Press]
  • Federal officials suppressed all submitted data on nonbinary students, gender-based bullying allegations, and related district anti-harassment policies.[Associated Press]
  • The administration cited an executive order defining sex strictly as male or female for the redactions, replacing figures with suppression codes.[NPR · Associated Press]
  • The nonbinary category and gender identity questions have been removed from the upcoming 2025-26 survey cycle amid broader staff cuts.[NPR]

Key facts

  • The Education Department published the 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection after passing its original target deadline.[NPR]
  • The release omitted the standard 'First Look Report' and provided only raw data files to the public.[NPR · Associated Press]
  • All columns concerning gender identity were replaced with codes indicating suppression under an executive order recognizing only male and female sexes.[NPR · Associated Press]
  • Redactions covered reports of bullying and harassment linked to gender identity along with district anti-harassment policy links.[Associated Press]
  • Roughly 1,800 out of over 13,000 U.S. school districts that tracked nonbinary student data submitted those numbers prior to suppression, according to a former OCR attorney.[PBS NewsHour]
  • The Office for Civil Rights halved its workforce under the current administration and faces plans to be transferred to the Justice Department.[NPR]
  • Questions regarding nonbinary students and gender identity have been eliminated from the upcoming 2025-26 data collection cycle.[NPR]

What remains uncertain

  • The specific contents, format, and timeline of additional materials that the Education Department stated it would publish in coming weeks remain unspecified.[PBS NewsHour · NPR]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.