# National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) The principal federal statistical agency for education, inside the Institute of Education Sciences at the [[Department of Education]], established at 20 U.S.C. § 9541. Produces the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the "Nation's Report Card"), IPEDS, the school-finance collections and the federal education longitudinal studies. Its commissioner is appointed by the President with Senate confirmation and holds a **six-year term** — the longest of the thirteen principal statistical agencies. [[Peggy Carr]] was removed mid-term on 24 February 2025, the first forcible removal in the office's history. Staffing fell from roughly 100 to four during 2025 and stood at about a dozen full-time employees by mid-2026. ## See also - [[Federal Statistical System Tree]] · [[How a Federal Agency Is Dismantled]]