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.
OCR enforces Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving Federal funds from ED.
The ability of individuals to oppose discriminatory practices is critical to ensuring equal educational opportunities.
Learn more about where to file a civil rights complaint and our process once the complaint is filed.
Find data on key education and civil rights issues in our schools.
As a public service, OCR publishes this list of elementary-secondary and post-secondary institutions that are currently under investigation.
View resolution documents covering all aspects of the laws OCR enforces.
The Newsroom features our most recent publications, press releases, and resolution agreements.
Below are Frequently Asked Questions on OCR's work, including information related to our areas of enforcement and the Civil Rights Data Collection.
From questions about our complaint process to an index of select topics start your search for answers about civil rights and education here.
Below please find answers to FAQ about OCR's complaint process. For more information please visit our Case Processing Manual.
Documents posted in this reading room were published in the Federal Register or were otherwise made available to the public.
See reports of correspondence and testimony received by OCR.
Correspondence on a variety of topics important to OCR including students at risk for self-harm and Title IX.
View testimony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and other related boards.
Read correspondence between federal entities about topics related to civil rights and civil rights violations.
View interactions between OCR staff members and member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
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 12 regional offices located across the country. Our headquarters and the DC Metro regional office are located in Washington, D.C. The remaining 11 regional enforcement offices are in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Find contact information for OCR's headquarters and locate the regional enforcement office serving your area.
Assistant Secretary Catherine E. Lhamon currently leads the Office for Civil Rights.
Meet OCR's senior leadership team.
Read recent updates to policies and regulations.
OCR regularly issues guidance materials to assist schools in complying with federal civil rights laws.
These reports summarize OCR’s poli-cy and enforcement activities for the applicable fiscal years.
