Office for Civil Rights (OCR) | U.S. Department of Education
Source: https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-offices/ocr
Archived: 2026-04-23 14:59
Office for Civil Rights (OCR) | U.S. Department of Education
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Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
OCR vigilantly enforces federal civil rights laws in schools and other recipients of Department of Education funding throughout the nation, managing and sustaining an expert staff across 5 regional offices.
Learn more about OCR
Home
FAQs about OCR
Correspondence
Contact Us
Welcome to the Office for Civil Rights
OCR’s mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s schools.
Retaliation Discrimination
The ability of individuals to oppose discriminatory practices is critical to ensuring equal educational opportunities.
Fight Retaliation
File a Civil Rights Complaint
Learn more about where to file a civil rights complaint and our process once the complaint is filed.
Get more information
Civil Rights Data
Find data on key education and civil rights issues in our schools.
View the CRDC
Open Investigations
As a public service, OCR publishes this list of elementary-secondary and post-secondary institutions that are currently under investigation.
Current Investigations
Recent Case Resolutions
View resolution documents covering all aspects of the laws OCR enforces.
Explore Case Resolutions
New from OCR
The Newsroom features our most recent publications, press releases, and resolution agreements.
Visit the Newsroom
Below are Frequently Asked Questions on OCR's work, including information related to our areas of enforcement and the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Questions and Answers on OCR's Complaint Process
Below please find answers to FAQ about OCR's complaint process. For more information please visit our Case Processing Manual.
Complaint process FAQs
Reading Room
Documents posted in this reading room were published in the Federal Register or were otherwise made available to the public.
See OCR topics
See reports of correspondence and testimony received by OCR.
Stakeholder Correspondence
Correspondence on a variety of topics important to OCR including students at risk for self-harm and Title IX.
See the correspondence
Testimony
View testimony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and other related boards.
See the testimony
Federal Entities Correspondence
Read correspondence between federal entities about topics related to civil rights and civil rights violations.
See the correspondence
Congressional Correspondence
View interactions between OCR staff members and member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
See the interactions
The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, who serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States and is appointed with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate, leads the Office for Civil Rights. OCR’s mandate to eliminate discriminatory barriers in education reaches more than 79 million individuals at institutions that receive federal funds, including all state educational agencies; approximately 18,100 local educational agencies; approximately 6,000 postsecondary institutions, including proprietary schools and community colleges; 78 state vocational rehabilitation agencies and their sub-recipients; and other institutions that receive U.S. Department of Education financial assistance, such as libraries, museums, and correctional institutions.
OCR serves our nation’s students through a headquarters office and 5 regional offices located across the country. Our headquarters and the DC Metro regional office are located in Washington, D.C. The remaining five regional enforcement offices are in Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, and Seattle.
Contacts & Staff Information
Headquarters & Regional Enforcement Offices
Find contact information for OCR's headquarters and locate the regional enforcement office serving your area.
Find an office near you
Meet the Team
Meet OCR's senior leadership team.
Learn more
Welcome to the Office for Civil Rights
OCR’s mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s schools.
Retaliation Discrimination
The ability of individuals to oppose discriminatory practices is critical to ensuring equal educational opportunities.
Fight Retaliation
File a Civil Rights Complaint
Learn more about where to file a civil rights complaint and our process once the complaint is filed.
Get more information
Civil Rights Data
Find data on key education and civil rights issues in our schools.
View the CRDC
Open Investigations
As a public service, OCR publishes this list of elementary-secondary and post-secondary institutions that are currently under investigation.
Current Investigations
Recent Case Resolutions
View resolution documents covering all aspects of the laws OCR enforces.
Explore Case Resolutions
New from OCR
The Newsroom features our most recent publications, press releases, and resolution agreements.
Visit the Newsroom
Below are Frequently Asked Questions on OCR's work, including information related to our areas of enforcement and the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Questions and Answers on OCR's Complaint Process
Below please find answers to FAQ about OCR's complaint process. For more information please visit our Case Processing Manual.
Complaint process FAQs
Reading Room
Documents posted in this reading room were published in the Federal Register or were otherwise made available to the public.
See OCR topics
See reports of correspondence and testimony received by OCR.
Stakeholder Correspondence
Correspondence on a variety of topics important to OCR including students at risk for self-harm and Title IX.
See the correspondence
Testimony
View testimony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and other related boards.
See the testimony
Federal Entities Correspondence
Read correspondence between federal entities about topics related to civil rights and civil rights violations.
See the correspondence
Congressional Correspondence
View interactions between OCR staff members and member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
See the interactions
The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, who serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States and is appointed with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate, leads the Office for Civil Rights. OCR’s mandate to eliminate discriminatory barriers in education reaches more than 79 million individuals at institutions that receive federal funds, including all state educational agencies; approximately 18,100 local educational agencies; approximately 6,000 postsecondary institutions, including proprietary schools and community colleges; 78 state vocational rehabilitation agencies and their sub-recipients; and other institutions that receive U.S. Department of Education financial assistance, such as libraries, museums, and correctional institutions.
OCR serves our nation’s students through a headquarters office and 5 regional offices located across the country. Our headquarters and the DC Metro regional office are located in Washington, D.C. The remaining five regional enforcement offices are in Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, and Seattle.
Contacts & Staff Information
Headquarters & Regional Enforcement Offices
Find contact information for OCR's headquarters and locate the regional enforcement office serving your area.
Find an office near you
Meet the Team
Meet OCR's senior leadership team.
Learn more
Additional Information from OCR
Rulemaking and Regulations by the Office for Civil Rights
Read recent updates to policies and regulations.
See the regulations
Policy Guidance
OCR regularly issues guidance materials to assist schools in complying with federal civil rights laws.
Explore recent guidance
OCR Annual Reports
These reports summarize OCR’s policy and enforcement activities for the applicable fiscal years.
See the annual reports
Our Locations
Contact OCR Headquarters or Find a Regional Enforcement Office Near You
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
Page Last Reviewed:
March 20, 2026
Skip to main content
Official websites use .gov
A
.gov
website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A
lock
(
) or
https://
means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
OCR vigilantly enforces federal civil rights laws in schools and other recipients of Department of Education funding throughout the nation, managing and sustaining an expert staff across 5 regional offices.
Learn more about OCR
Home
FAQs about OCR
Correspondence
Contact Us
Welcome to the Office for Civil Rights
OCR’s mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s schools.
Retaliation Discrimination
The ability of individuals to oppose discriminatory practices is critical to ensuring equal educational opportunities.
Fight Retaliation
File a Civil Rights Complaint
Learn more about where to file a civil rights complaint and our process once the complaint is filed.
Get more information
Civil Rights Data
Find data on key education and civil rights issues in our schools.
View the CRDC
Open Investigations
As a public service, OCR publishes this list of elementary-secondary and post-secondary institutions that are currently under investigation.
Current Investigations
Recent Case Resolutions
View resolution documents covering all aspects of the laws OCR enforces.
Explore Case Resolutions
New from OCR
The Newsroom features our most recent publications, press releases, and resolution agreements.
Visit the Newsroom
Below are Frequently Asked Questions on OCR's work, including information related to our areas of enforcement and the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Questions and Answers on OCR's Complaint Process
Below please find answers to FAQ about OCR's complaint process. For more information please visit our Case Processing Manual.
Complaint process FAQs
Reading Room
Documents posted in this reading room were published in the Federal Register or were otherwise made available to the public.
See OCR topics
See reports of correspondence and testimony received by OCR.
Stakeholder Correspondence
Correspondence on a variety of topics important to OCR including students at risk for self-harm and Title IX.
See the correspondence
Testimony
View testimony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and other related boards.
See the testimony
Federal Entities Correspondence
Read correspondence between federal entities about topics related to civil rights and civil rights violations.
See the correspondence
Congressional Correspondence
View interactions between OCR staff members and member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
See the interactions
The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, who serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States and is appointed with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate, leads the Office for Civil Rights. OCR’s mandate to eliminate discriminatory barriers in education reaches more than 79 million individuals at institutions that receive federal funds, including all state educational agencies; approximately 18,100 local educational agencies; approximately 6,000 postsecondary institutions, including proprietary schools and community colleges; 78 state vocational rehabilitation agencies and their sub-recipients; and other institutions that receive U.S. Department of Education financial assistance, such as libraries, museums, and correctional institutions.
OCR serves our nation’s students through a headquarters office and 5 regional offices located across the country. Our headquarters and the DC Metro regional office are located in Washington, D.C. The remaining five regional enforcement offices are in Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, and Seattle.
Contacts & Staff Information
Headquarters & Regional Enforcement Offices
Find contact information for OCR's headquarters and locate the regional enforcement office serving your area.
Find an office near you
Meet the Team
Meet OCR's senior leadership team.
Learn more
Welcome to the Office for Civil Rights
OCR’s mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s schools.
Retaliation Discrimination
The ability of individuals to oppose discriminatory practices is critical to ensuring equal educational opportunities.
Fight Retaliation
File a Civil Rights Complaint
Learn more about where to file a civil rights complaint and our process once the complaint is filed.
Get more information
Civil Rights Data
Find data on key education and civil rights issues in our schools.
View the CRDC
Open Investigations
As a public service, OCR publishes this list of elementary-secondary and post-secondary institutions that are currently under investigation.
Current Investigations
Recent Case Resolutions
View resolution documents covering all aspects of the laws OCR enforces.
Explore Case Resolutions
New from OCR
The Newsroom features our most recent publications, press releases, and resolution agreements.
Visit the Newsroom
Below are Frequently Asked Questions on OCR's work, including information related to our areas of enforcement and the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Questions and Answers on OCR's Complaint Process
Below please find answers to FAQ about OCR's complaint process. For more information please visit our Case Processing Manual.
Complaint process FAQs
Reading Room
Documents posted in this reading room were published in the Federal Register or were otherwise made available to the public.
See OCR topics
See reports of correspondence and testimony received by OCR.
Stakeholder Correspondence
Correspondence on a variety of topics important to OCR including students at risk for self-harm and Title IX.
See the correspondence
Testimony
View testimony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and other related boards.
See the testimony
Federal Entities Correspondence
Read correspondence between federal entities about topics related to civil rights and civil rights violations.
See the correspondence
Congressional Correspondence
View interactions between OCR staff members and member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
See the interactions
The Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, who serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States and is appointed with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate, leads the Office for Civil Rights. OCR’s mandate to eliminate discriminatory barriers in education reaches more than 79 million individuals at institutions that receive federal funds, including all state educational agencies; approximately 18,100 local educational agencies; approximately 6,000 postsecondary institutions, including proprietary schools and community colleges; 78 state vocational rehabilitation agencies and their sub-recipients; and other institutions that receive U.S. Department of Education financial assistance, such as libraries, museums, and correctional institutions.
OCR serves our nation’s students through a headquarters office and 5 regional offices located across the country. Our headquarters and the DC Metro regional office are located in Washington, D.C. The remaining five regional enforcement offices are in Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, and Seattle.
Contacts & Staff Information
Headquarters & Regional Enforcement Offices
Find contact information for OCR's headquarters and locate the regional enforcement office serving your area.
Find an office near you
Meet the Team
Meet OCR's senior leadership team.
Learn more
Additional Information from OCR
Rulemaking and Regulations by the Office for Civil Rights
Read recent updates to policies and regulations.
See the regulations
Policy Guidance
OCR regularly issues guidance materials to assist schools in complying with federal civil rights laws.
Explore recent guidance
OCR Annual Reports
These reports summarize OCR’s policy and enforcement activities for the applicable fiscal years.
See the annual reports
Our Locations
Contact OCR Headquarters or Find a Regional Enforcement Office Near You
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
Page Last Reviewed:
March 20, 2026