| 504 | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 | Federal civil rights statute |
| 508 | Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act | Accessibility / technology requirement |
| ACGR | Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate | Performance measure (ESEA accountability) |
| ACH | Automated Clearing House | Federal payments / banking |
| ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act | Federal civil rights statute |
| Admin Data | Administrative Data Division | Office within IES / NCES |
| ADP | Automated Data Processing | Information technology |
| AITQ | Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality | ED program (Title II) |
| AMAO | Annual Measurable Achievement Objective | Performance measure (Title III, ESEA) |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute | Standards body (state code assignment) |
| AP | Advanced Placement | College Board program |
| APR | Annual Performance Report | Reporting requirement |
| BIE | Bureau of Indian Education | Federal agency / Department of Interior |
| CAR | Consolidated Annual Report | Federal reporting requirement (Perkins IV, ESEA) |
| CCD | Common Core of Data | EDFacts dataset (NCES) |
| CEDS | Common Education Data Standards | National data standard |
| CEIS | Coordinated Early Intervening Services | IDEA program function |
| CFDA | Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance | Program identification system |
| CIID | Center for the Integration of IDEA Data | Technical assistance center |
| CRA | Civil Rights Act | Federal civil rights statute |
| CRDC | Civil Rights Data Collection | ED data collection under OCR |
| CSPR | Consolidated State Performance Report | ESEA reporting instrument |
| CTE | Career and Technical Education | Program area under Perkins / OCTAE |
| DaSY | Center for Early Childhood Data Systems | TA center under IDEA |
| DEI | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | Policy / initiative focus area in education agencies |
| DEOA | Department of Education Organization Act | Federal statute establishing the U.S. Department of Education |
| DLSS | Direct Loan Servicing System | Loan servicing platform (legacy) |
| DMS | Data Management System | Data governance / IT system |
| DoDEA | Department of Defense Education Activity | Federal education system |
| DQ | Data Quality | Data governance concept |
| EAA | Education Amendments Act | Includes Title IX |
| EDCAPS | Education Central Automated Processing System | ED enterprise system |
| EDFacts | Education Department EDFacts System | ED data collection / reporting initiative |
| EDGAR | Education Department General Administrative Regulations | Federal administrative regulations for ED grants |
| EL | English Learner | Student subgroup under ESEA / Title III |
| EMAPS | EDFacts Metadata and Process System | Business process tool |
| ERDDIA | Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act | Federal statute (research) |
| ERIC | Education Resources Information Center | Research database (IES-funded) |
| ERISA | Employee Retirement Income Security Act | Federal employee benefit plan law (1974) |
| FACA | Federal Advisory Committee Act | Federal advisory governance statute |
| FAFSA | Free Application for Federal Student Aid | Student aid application |
| FAR | Federal Acquisition Regulation | Federal procurement regulation (applies to contracts) |
| FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act | Federal student privacy statute |
| FIPS | Federal Information Processing Standards | IT / data coding standard |
| FOIA | Freedom of Information Act | Public records / disclosure statute |
| FSA | Federal Student Aid | ED office / student aid programs |
| FTE | Full-Time Equivalent | Personnel / budgeting measure |
| G6 | Grants Management System | ED’s financial system for grants (formerly G5) |
| GEPA | General Education Provisions Act | Federal statute / grant provisions |
| GFSA | Gun-Free Schools Act | Federal education statute |
| HEA | Higher Education Act | Federal statute governing higher education and student aid |
| IDC | IDEA Data Center | Technical assistance center |
| IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act | Federal special education statute |
| IEP | Individualized Education Program | IDEA legal document |
| IES | Institute of Education Sciences | Office within ED |
| IPEDS | Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System | Postsecondary data system |
| LEA | Local Educational Agency | School district / public charter LEA |
| MEP | Migrant Education Program | ESEA Title I program (OESE) |
| MOE | Maintenance of Effort | Fiscal requirement under IDEA / ESEA |
| MSIX | Migrant Student Information Exchange | ED student data system |
| NAEP | National Assessment of Educational Progress | IES / NCES assessment program |
| NCES | National Center for Education Statistics | IES statistical agency |
| NIDRR | National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research | Federal research institute (legacy) |
| NIST | National Institute of Standards and Technology | Federal agency / standards |
| OCE | Office of Correctional Education | Office within ED (legacy) |
| OCTAE | Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education | Office within ED |
| OCR | Office for Civil Rights | Office within ED |
| OET | Office of Educational Technology | Office within ED |
| OGC | Office of the General Counsel | Office within ED |
| OHA/OALJ | Office of Hearings & Appeals / Office of Administrative Law Judges | Adjudicatory bodies |
| OIE | Office of Indian Education | Office within ED |
| OIG | Office of Inspector General | Oversight office within ED |
| OII | Office of Innovation and Improvement | Office within ED (legacy; folded into OESE) |
| OME | Office of Migrant Education | Program office within OESE |
| ONPE | Office of Non-Public Education | Office within ED (private/nonpublic engagement) |
| OPE | Office of Postsecondary Education | Office within ED |
| OSEP | Office of Special Education Programs | Office within OSERS |
| OSERS | Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services | ED office (oversees OSEP and RSA) |
| OSSS | Office of Safe and Supportive Schools | Program office within OESE |
| OST | Office of School Turnaround | Program office within OESE (legacy) |
| OUS | Office of the Under Secretary | ED leadership office |
| PPRA | Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment | Federal student privacy statute |
| PPSS | Policy and Program Studies Service | Analytic office within OPEPD |
| PRA | Paperwork Reduction Act | Federal law requiring OMB approval for data collections |
| PSLF | Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Federal student loan forgiveness program under HEA |
| REAP | Rural Education Achievement Program | ESEA Title VI program |
| RSA | Rehabilitation Services Administration | Agency within OSERS |
| SEA | State Educational Agency | State-level education authority |
| SLDS | Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems | ED data initiative |
| SPP | State Performance Plan | IDEA reporting requirement |
| SPPO | Student Privacy Policy Office | ED office administering FERPA / privacy |
| SSA | School Support and Accountability | ED office (OESE) |
| STEM | Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics | Programmatic focus area |
| UEI | Unique Entity Identifier | Federal grants / SAM.gov identifier |
| UMIRS | Uniform Management Information and Reporting System | Discipline data system |
| USED | U.S. Department of Education | Federal agency |
| VR | Vocational Rehabilitation | Rehabilitation services / programs |
| WIOA | Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act | Federal workforce statute |