Checking District of Residence Codes Using Batch Geocoding

Ben Norris

Purpose

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• The purpose of this presentation is to show a brief tutorial on how to use free online resources to determine district of residence codes based on home addresses.

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• In addition to showing this technique, I will illustrate how I used this process as a Data Coordinator to support the work of the Syracuse Diocese.

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Resources Needed for Geocoding

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• United States Census Bureau Geocoder

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• Missouri Census Data Center Geocorr 2022: Geographic Correspondence Engine

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• StudentLite File (or a Custom Export of addresses)

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• SIRS Manual (for the District of Residence codes)

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• Microsoft Excel

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US Census Bureau Geocoder

• Can process a CSV file of up to 10,000 records and up to 5 MB in size.
• 5 required fields in the following order: ID, Address, City, State, ZIP Code.
• The ID you supply should be a pseudo-ID that you can map back to your original StudentLite data file.
• Don’t include any headers in the address file.
• Upload the sample file into the geocoder with the given benchmark and vintage settings and click “Get Results.”
• When opening the Excel file, click “Don’t Convert” to keep the leading zeros. In Column M, use the CONCAT function to combine Columns I-L.

MCDC Geocorr 2022

• Pick your State (New York), the Source Geography (Census block) and Target Geography (Unified school district) and run the report to generate a CSV file.
• The census tract variable needs to be adjusted so that it has ####.## format. We then need to remove the . from the modified census tract so that it matches the conventions in the GeocodeResults file.
• You can use the MCDC geocorr2022 file that has already been modified accordingly (download it as an Excel file).
• Use the CONCAT function to combine State/County, Modified Census Tract & Block.

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Putting It All Together

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• Index Match can then be used to merge in the Unified School District name from the MCDC geocorr2022 file to the GeocodingResults file.
• A document explaining the Excel formulas utilized in this exercise can be found here.
• Likewise, Index Match can be used to merge the school district name back into the StudentLite file.
• You’ll likely want to use the SIRS Manual to look up the corresponding names for the District of Residence codes in the StudentLite file.

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Things to Note

• Non-exact address matches can occur for a variety of reasons:
• The address has a ZIP Code +4 (instead of just five digits).
• The address is misspelled.
• The address has incorrect formatting (ex. using the word Street instead of St, missing a directional).
• It is not a bad idea to spot check some of the non-exact matches to make sure they are correct.
• It is possible when manually checking mismatches that the returned geocoding result is incorrect. This can happen when the address is on a borderline with another school district.
• The NCES School & District Navigator can be helpful when checking district mismatches.

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So Why Do It?

• For the Diocese of Syracuse, this information impacts their BEDS-IMF submission and the textbook aid they receive.
• In a recent geocoding exercise of over 2,600 students, 163 were found to have the wrong school district of residence.
• This, in turn, impacts the information that public school districts receive on their State Aid 3-Year BEDS Day Enrollment Summary reports.
• Charter schools are also obligated to report accurate district of residence codes, as they need to bill the correct school districts for student tuition.
• Lastly, are students potentially missing program service codes (such as homelessness or foster care) in your student management system?
• Homeless students’ district of residence should reflect the district of attendance for the student.
• Foster care district of residence code should reflect where the foster family resides.
• It can also be used to help with the U.S. Census Bureau’s School District Review Program (examining school boundaries).

Thank You!