Department of Education
Annual backlog, FY2008–FY2025
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2025). Federal fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sept 30, named for the year it ends.
Dashed verticals mark presidential inaugurations.
Recent quarterly activity
Last 22 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026).
10 oldest pending requests, end of FY2025 (Sept 30, 2025)
Agencies report days pending in working days, counted from the day the request was received; the years column converts to calendar years. The longer this list runs, the more litigation-ripe the agency’s backlog.
| Rank | Date received | Working days pending | Years pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2018-04-21 | 1,862 | 7.4 |
| #2 | 2018-05-02 | 1,855 | 7.4 |
| #3 | 2018-06-28 | 1,814 | 7.3 |
| #4 | 2018-06-29 | 1,813 | 7.3 |
| #5 | 2018-07-18 | 1,802 | 7.2 |
| #6 | 2018-10-29 | 1,731 | 6.9 |
| #7 | 2018-12-04 | 1,707 | 6.8 |
| #8 | 2018-12-21 | 1,694 | 6.8 |
| #9 | 2019-02-11 | 1,661 | 6.6 |
| #10 | 2019-03-14 | 1,639 | 6.5 |
Exemption invocations, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
How often each FOIA exemption (b1–b9) was invoked when redacting or denying records. Exemption 5 (deliberative process, attorney-client) is highlighted — it’s the most-fought exemption in FOIA litigation.
FOIA staffing, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 5,266 | 3,916 | 4,953 |
| FY2024 | 4,560 | 3,119 | 3,603 |
| FY2023 | 2,816 | 2,385 | 2,161 |
| FY2022 | 2,372 | 1,462 | 1,729 |
| FY2021 | 2,151 | 2,292 | 820 |
| FY2020 | 2,384 | 2,537 | 961 |
| FY2019 | 2,448 | 2,368 | 1,114 |
| FY2018 | 3,041 | 2,858 | 1,031 |
| FY2017 | 2,915 | 2,574 | 848 |
| FY2016 | 2,445 | 2,307 | 508 |
| FY2015 | 2,297 | 2,315 | 370 |
| FY2014 | 2,234 | 2,147 | 391 |
| FY2013 | 2,415 | 2,421 | 343 |
| FY2012 | 2,246 | 2,346 | 359 |
| FY2011 | 2,401 | 2,486 | 371 |
| FY2010 | 2,114 | 2,077 | 456 |
| FY2009 | 2,307 | 2,232 | 419 |
| FY2008 | 1,921 | 2,236 | 344 |
Every dataset behind this page is available as CSV. Filter by agency name in your spreadsheet of choice.