Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2025

The "Understanding Student Parent Outcomes Act of 2025" aims to significantly improve the understanding and support for student parents in higher education by enhancing data collection and conducting a comprehensive study. It directs the Commissioner of Education Statistics to establish a common definition for "parenting student" in consultation with various stakeholders, including student parents and experts, covering any student identifying as a parent or caregiver of a dependent child. Within two years, the bill mandates the development of new data elements for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and other federal collection efforts. These elements will gather detailed information on parenting students, such as their enrollment, retention, completion rates, average net price, marital status, employment, income, and use of campus-based childcare services. The collected data must be disaggregated by whether students identify as parents or caregivers, and annually by race, ethnicity, and gender, starting in academic year 2026-2027. Additionally, the Secretary of Education, in collaboration with the Commissioner, will provide technical assistance to states and institutions. This assistance will guide them on developing and implementing effective data collection mechanisms, leveraging existing systems, integrating data with state information systems, and communicating data use and privacy to students. Finally, the bill requires the Secretary of Education to conduct a comprehensive study on best practices that improve outcomes for student parents at a representative sample of higher education institutions. This study will examine enrollment, persistence, retention, the impact of campus-based childcare, and the integration of on-campus services with other state and federal support programs. The findings, including identified best practices, must be reported to Congress and made publicly available within two years.