General
What acknowledgements should be included in a publication or presentation based on data from HS&B:80 or NLS:72?
How do I cite the HS&B:80/2021 follow-up?
How can I find out about updates and news regarding HS&B:80, NLS:72, or EdSHARe?
Where do I send questions about the data, procedures, problems, etc.?
Study Design and Field Work
How were NLS:72 schools and participants chosen?
How were HS&B:80 schools and participants chosen?
How can I tell if a question was asked in a given wave?
How is cognition measured?
What biomarkers are collected?
Do the HS&B:80 or NLS:72 data contain any identifiers?
Data Access and Requirements
How should I apply for restricted-use data access?
What types of data are available under the restricted-use license?
How can I access public-use data?
What’s included in the HS&B:80 and NLS:72 public-use data?
How do I add my publication to the EdSHARe publications archive?
General
What acknowledgements should be included in a publication or presentation based on data from HS&B:80 or NLS:72? Back to Top
The HS&B:80 and NLS:72 recent follow-ups have been supported by a number of foundations and agencies. Visit our Funding page for the list of those who supported the studies.
How do I cite the HS&B:80/2021 follow-up? Back to Top
To cite the most recent HS&B:80 follow-up, use the citation below:
Grodsky, Eric, Jennifer Manly, Chandra Muller, and John Robert, Warren. 2025. High School and Beyond 2021 Follow-Up Data File Documentation. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences.
For more information, visit our How to Cite page.
How can I find out about updates and news regarding HS&B:80, NLS:72, or EdSHARe? Back to Top
Sign up for our newsletter for updates on the cohort studies and EdSHARe. We also post news releases to the website when new research findings are available.
Where do I send questions about the data, procedures, problems, etc.? Back to Top
Please use the Contact us form or email us at [email protected].
Study Design and Field Work
How were NLS:72 schools and participants chosen? Back to Top
SCHOOLS - The NLS:72 study used a stratified, two-stage probability sample of all U.S. schools (public and private) with 12th graders in 1971-72. Schools were divided into 600 strata based on factors like type of control, geographic region, school size, proximity to colleges, minority enrollment percentage, community income level, and degree of urbanization. Schools were selected with probabilities proportional to size. Backup schools and augmentation schools were used for coverage.
STUDENTS - Within each selected school, the NLS:72 study randomly sampled about 20 seniors, plus five alternates. Early graduates and adult education students were excluded. Additional students from nonparticipating schools were added during follow-up surveys.
For more details, see Riccobono et al. (1981) National Longitudinal Study of 1972: Base Year (1972) through Fourth Follow-Up (1979) Data File User's Manual.
How were HS&B:80 schools and participants chosen? Back to Top
SCHOOLS - The HS&B:80 study used a two-stage stratified probability sample. Schools were selected from a national frame of public and private high schools, stratified by type of control, geographic region, racial/ethnic composition, urbanization level, and enrollment size. Certain schools were oversampled for detailed analysis of key subgroups.
STUDENTS - Within each selected school, about 40 sophomores and 40 seniors were randomly sampled. Additional students were drawn as needed, but no substitutions were made for students who declined participation.
For more details, see Frankel et al. (1981) High School and Beyond Sample Design Report.
How can I tell if a question was asked in a given wave? Back to Top
Please visit the NLS:72 Instruments and HS&B:80 Instruments pages to explore all follow-up survey instruments.
How is cognition measured? Back to Top
Cognition was assessed in the HS&B:80/2021 and NLS:72/2025 follow-up studies to evaluate memory, attention, and executive functioning. Tasks varied by mode and study.
HS&B:80/2021: Phone Interview: Immediate/Delayed Word Recall, Number Span, Letter/Semantic Fluency. Web Interview: Verbal/Visual Paired-Association Tasks.
NLS:72/2025: In-Person Interview: Word Recall, Number Span, Fluency, Trail Making, Digit Symbol Coding, Dimensional Change Card Sort, WRAT. Phone Interview: Word Recall, Number Span, Fluency.
For details, see Muller et al. (2025) Education and midlife cognitive functioning: Evidence from the High School and Beyond cohort.
What biomarkers are collected? Back to Top
Biomarker data were first collected during the HS&B:80/2021 and NLS:72/2025 follow-ups. Respondents provided blood and saliva samples and underwent physical measurements (blood pressure, pulse, height, weight, hip/waist circumference). Additional NLS:72/2025 assessments included grip strength, chair stands, hearing, and MRI scans for a subsample.
See the Updated HS&B:80 Cohort Profile for more information.
Do the HS&B:80 or NLS:72 data contain any identifiers? Back to Top
HS&B:80 and NLS:72 data files do not contain respondent identifiers. All Personal Identifying Information (PII) has been removed. The data contain only constructed (de-identified) ID numbers for linking across follow-ups.
Data Access and Requirements
How should I apply for restricted-use data access? Back to Top
HS&B:80/2014-2015, HS&B:80/2021, and NLS:72/2025 data and documentation are released through a restricted-use data license. Apply through the ResearchDataGov.org portal. Requirements include U.S. organization affiliation, online application, signed license documents, security plan, and notarized nondisclosure affidavits.
For details, visit our Get the Data page.
What types of data are available under the restricted-use license? Back to Top
Restricted-use data include survey data from recent follow-ups, spatial data, administrative measures, and biological/pharmaceutical measures (blood, saliva, physical assessments). Access is limited to researchers affiliated with U.S. organizations.
How can I access public-use data? Back to Top
Archived NLS:72 and HS&B:80 base year and follow-up surveys from 1972–1986 are publicly available on the EdSHARe Public Dataset GitHub. These files are based on original ICPSR datasets and include processed Stata files for analysis.
What’s included in the HS&B:80 and NLS:72 public-use data? Back to Top
The EdSHARe Public Datasets GitHub repository provides processed Stata files based on the original ICPSR data. These include:
- Student-level data: demographics, transcripts, test scores, survey responses.
- School-level data: characteristics of schools attended.
- Follow-up data: postsecondary education, employment, life outcomes.
How do I add my publication to the EdSHARe publications archive? Back to Top
Email a citation (including DOI or URL) or a copy of your publication to [email protected]. This applies to peer-reviewed articles, dissertations, and theses that use HS&B:80 or NLS:72 data. Your contribution helps keep records current and supports the research community.