The State of California has expanded its recently launched Student Pathways Tool by adding a new resource that integrates education and workforce data, enhancing its value for researchers and decision-makers.
What you need to know: The Cradle-to-Career initiative continues to deliver useful resources to better understand education and workforce outcomes.
Today, California takes the first step towards its Query Builder project for researchers by releasing data files that power the Student Pathways dashboard. Released as a suite of Excel and CSV files, the newly available dataset allows researchers and analysts to explore connected education and workforce data in one place. Experienced data users will have the ability to connect to other existing datasets to deliver customized insights on different education pathways and impact on career outcomes. The acceleration of the Cradle-to-Career initiative paves the way for more nimble and efficient decision-making for the state’s leaders while also meeting the needs of students and families for college and career planning
“The outpouring of support and engagement following the Student Pathways dashboard affirmed that Californians yearn for more information on what’s working and what’s not working for student success and career outcomes. We heard loud and clear that Californians steeped in data wanted more ways to access the data for further analysis. Today’s release signals the beginning of a new project that will evolve over time – that can only happen with collaboration with our partners and most importantly, the voices of Californians.” –Mary Ann Bates, Executive Director, Office of Cradle-to-Career Data
Created as an extension of the Student Pathways Data Story, the resource released today will serve as the foundation of the future state interactive Query Builder tool, which will be developed over time and with input from Californians. More than 68,000 users have utilized the Student Pathways dashboard since launching in April 2025.
We Listened, Learned, and Delivered.
Following the successful launch of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System’s Student Pathways Data Story in April, researchers and analysts expressed interest in accessing the data powering the tool. Staying true to its commitment to centering users, Cradle-to-Career developed the first phase of the Query Builder project to provide an accessible format for researchers to dive into the data. As the project evolves, each phase released will build on previous versions and unlock new ways to access and customize the data provided. Cradle-to-Career will continue to lean on communities for their input as future iterations of the project move forward.
Connecting Education and Workforce Insights
California is a hub for education and leading the way in innovative strategies to prepare the workforce of tomorrow. The newly released data resource will foster better understanding of education-to-workforce pathways in the state and provide opportunities to improve outcomes and spot opportunity gaps informed-by facts.
Commitment to Security and Privacy
The California Cradle-to-Career Data System is the state’s official source of actionable data and research on education, economic, and health outcomes. Cradle-to-Career is committed to protecting and securing confidential records of Californians and follows stringent state, federal and industry standards to ensure data system security and privacy. Similar to the Student Pathways Data Story, the datasets released today adhere to Cradle-to-Career’s stringent privacy policies.