State Profile Resources & Data

Data for the State Profiles were drawn from a variety of sources. Please contact us at info@careertech.org if you have additional questions.

Data regarding secondary and postsecondary CTE performance indicators as well as Perkins funding are culled from the mandatory Perkins monitoring reports.  Per federal guidelines, states are required to meet 90 percent of their agreed upon performance levels. As such, a “Yes” to a particular performance element indicates that 90 percent of the target was met in the given year.*

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Databases

The National Center for Education Statistics’ (NCES) databases – Common Core of Data, Elementary/Secondary School Information and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System – also provide secondary and postsecondary institutional and enrollment data that is used to develop Advance CTE’s state profiles.

  • Public High Schools
    • Years: 2019-20
    • Methodology: Table 216.70, Secondary and high, Regular schools
    • Source: Elementary/Secondary Information System (ELSi)
  • Public High School Enrollment
    • Years: 2020-2021
    • Methodology: Table 203.30
    • Source: Elementary/Secondary Information System (ELSi)
  • High School CTE Concentrators
    • Years: 2020-21
    • Source: U.S. Department of Education, Perkins Data Explorer
  • Secondary CTE Enrollment
    • Years: 2020-21
    • Methodology: Select document for ‘CTE Concentrators report for program year 2020-21 for all States’, scroll down document for each state and corresponding category. 
    • Source: U.S. Department of Education, Perkins Data Explorer
    • Note: Some states include Middle Grades in Secondary CTE Enrollment. As such, some states have Total Secondary CTE Enrollment numbers greater than corresponding Public High School Enrollment numbers. 
  • Public Community Colleges
    • Year: 2021
    • Methodology: Table 317.20
    • Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, College Navigator
  • Public Community Colleges Enrollment (full & part-time)
    • Years: 2019-20
    • Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics
  • Postsecondary CTE Concentrators
    • Years: 2020-21
    • Source: U.S. Department of Education, Perkins Data Explorer
  • Postsecondary CTE Enrollment
    • Years: 2020-21
    • Source: U.S. Department of Education, Perkins Data Explorer
    • Note: Postsecondary CTE Enrollment by Race numbers only reflect students who have self-identified race, while Total Postsecondary CTE Enrollment numbers include students who did not self-identify or for whom race is unknown. Percentages attributed to individual racial categories only reflect students who have self-identified. 
  • Secondary and Postsecondary CTE Performance Indicators
    • Year: 2018
    • Methodology: Perkins Data Explorer with the following filters applied: Select “Performance Data.” State: All; Year: 2018; Data Options: Actual Performance; Success Measures: All; Core Indicators: 4S1, 5S1, 2P1, 4P1; Student Populations: Gender; Student Categories: All 
    • Source: U.S. Department of Education, Perkins Data Explorer
  • Associate Degree and Certificate Attainment
    • Years: 2019-20
    • Methodology: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System table with the following filters applied: Column: Award level – Modify categories: Award of less than 1 academic year, Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years, Associate’s degree; Row: State 
    • Source: U.S. Department of Education, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
    • Note: For All Degrees and Certificates Awarded Statewide, include all categories under “Award level”
  • Perkins Data 
    • Years: 2022
    • Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Carer, Technical and Adult Education
    • Methodology: Select state for corresponding category
  • Postsecondary Goals
    • ​Year: 2021
    • Methodology: Lumina Foundation Report: Select “Progress for States”; (State name)
    • Source: Lumina Foundation
  • ESSA Metrics
    • Year: 2017
    • Source: Advance CTE and Education Strategy Group’s analysis of ESSA state plans, with some updates, as possible
  • Number of Area Technical Centers

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V)

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, commonly known as Perkins V,  requires regular reports to Congress on state performance. These are amalgamated by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) and made available through the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network for Program and Data Quality (PCRN). PCRN reports contain information on core indicators of performance (academic attainment, attainment of diplomas or degrees, placement and retention in further education or employment, and participation and completion of non-traditional training programs) for secondary and postsecondary CTE programs on a state-by-state basis. 

Useful resources available from PCRN include:

  • The Consolidated Annual Report (CAR): A mandatory fiscal and accountability report submitted by each state to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) that provides performance information on Perkins indicators. As of September 2015, the searchable tool is being revised and not currently available to the public.
  • Report to Congress on State Performance Program Year 2015-16: The U.S. Department of Education draws information from the states’ annual reports in order to submit a comprehensive report to Congress. The most recent year available to the public is 2015-2016.
  • PCRN-Resources and Tools: Best practices, collaborative efforts and other qualitative and quantitative measures of success via the PCRN.