Australia's National School Data and the 'Big Data' Revolution in Education Economics

The increasing availability of large-N datasets on students, schools and student achievement has produced an explosion of research in education economics over the past 20 years. In this data survey, we first review the micro-level education datasets presently available around the world, focusing on their strengths and data access protocols, and we highlight samples of research by economists that have drawn upon them. We then discuss Australia's forays into 'Big Data' in education, with our main objective a description and assessment of the national school data recently made available to researchers through the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.