National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS) Series

Beginning with an 8th grade cohort in 1988, NELS:88 provides trend data about critical transitions experienced by young people as they develop, attend school, and embark on their careers. Data were collected from students and their parents, teachers, and high school principals and from existing school records such as high school transcripts. Cognitive tests (math, science, reading, and history) were administered during the base year (1988), first follow-up (1990), and second follow-up (1992). Third follow-up data were collected in 1994 and the fourth in 2000. All dropouts were retained in the study.

NCES also provides access to NELS data through the DAS Web site. At this site you will find a link to a Windows software data analysis application (DAS). Users must download this software to their personal computers, create and submit their own specifications to generate statistical tables to this Web site, and retrieve their results.

For more information, visit NELS at NCES.