California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS): A system of collecting student school data conducted by the Educational Demographics Unit of the California Department of Education. Each October, every school in California is required to fill out a census of students, including enrollment by grade and ethnic group, graduates and dropouts, as well as information about the staffing of the school. All teaching personnel are required to fill out a form indicating their credential status, courses they teach and characteristics of the students they serve. These data provide the CDE and the public with most of the demographic indicators that are used to record changes and progress over the years.