Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS)

The Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS) provides state policy makers, authorized researchers and citizens with access to educational and workforce training data from multiple sources while protecting the privacy of Virginia students.

VLDS supports critical reporting on the quality of public education – such as accurate graduation and dropout rates for high schools and school divisions – while providing information that can help policy makers improve programs that prepare and connect Virginians with employment opportunities.

VDOE & the Virginia Longitudinal Data System – Improving Student Outcomes & Protecting Privacy (PDF) - More on how VLDS protects student privacy, including answers to frequently asked questions about data available through the system.

For more information about the Virginia Longitudinal Data System, visit the VLDS website.

Data are provided by VDOE, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Virginia Community College System and the Virginia Employment Commission.

The development of VLDS was funded through a Longitudinal Data Systems Grant awarded to the commonwealth under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The federal grant allowed Virginia to build on VDOE’s state-funded Educational Information Management System and put additional high quality data into the hands of teachers, administrators, researchers, policymakers and the public – while safeguarding the privacy of students and adults.

Learn about the Virginia Longitudinal Data System and its benefits
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Maintaining Privacy with VLDS

To ensure the highest levels of privacy, VLDS is built on a system that utilizes a complex process which leaves private data behind the participating agencies’ existing firewalls while merging data for research purposes.

For more information, see VLDS Privacy or Play the VLDS Privacy and Security Explained video.