Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2020

"This report provides official estimates of school crime and safety from a variety of data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, principals, and post-secondary institutions.

Highlights

• In 2019, students ages 12-18 experienced 764,600 victimizations at school and 509,300 victimizations away from school.
• About 22% of students ages 12-18 reported being bullied at school during the school year in 2019, which was lower than the percentage who reported being bullied in 2009 (28%).
• In 2019, of students ages 12-18, about 9% reported a gang presence at their school during the school year, 7% reported being called hate-related words, and 23% reported seeing hate-related graffiti.
• Between 2009 and 2019, the percentage of students in grades 9–12 who reported carrying a weapon anywhere during the previous 30 days decreased (from 17% to 13%), as did the percentage of students who reported carrying a weapon on school property (decreased from 6% to 3%).
• In 2019–20, there were a total of 75 school shootings with casualties, including 27 school shootings with deaths and 48 school shootings with injuries only. In addition, there were 37 reported school shootings with no casualties in 2019–20.
  
  

  Downloads

  • Summary, (PDF 447K)
  • Executive Summary (full report), (PDF 4.3M)
  • Indicator 2: Incidence of Victimization at School and Away From School, (PDF 104K)
  • Individual Indicators at National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).."School crime and safety 

Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2019

"A joint effort by the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in schools and colleges. This report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources—the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the School Survey on Crime and Safety, the Schools and Staffing Survey, EDFacts, and the Campus Safety and Security Survey. The report covers topics such as victimization, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, the presence of security staff at school, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions.

Online Availability: Download, view and print the report as a pdf file.  (5.86MB) Browse this document.."

 School crime 

Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools Findings From the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2017–18

"Selected Findings: School Year 2017–18 

• During the 2017–18 school year, an estimated 962,300 violent incidents and 476,100 nonviolent incidents occurred in U.S. public schools nationwide.2,3 Seventy-one percent of schools reported having at least one violent incident, and 65 percent reported having at least one nonviolent incident (table 1) (figure 1).

• Some 66 percent of schools reported at least one physical attack or fight without a weapon, compared with 3 percent of schools that reported such an attack with a weapon (table 2).

• A higher percentage of schools located in towns reported at least one incident of theft at school (44 percent) than did schools located in cities (36 percent), suburbs (32 percent), and rural areas (29 percent). In contrast, a higher percentage of schools located in cities reported at least one incident of vandalism (40 percent) than did schools located in suburbs (33 percent), towns (31 percent), and rural areas (27 percent) (table 3).

• During the 2017–18 school year, there were an estimated 3,600 incidents nationwide involving the possession of a firearm or explosive device at school (table 4)..."
Crime violence in public schools

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2018

"This annual report, produced jointly by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, presents data on school crime and safety from national surveys of students, teachers, principals, and postsecondary institutions. It contains findings on 22 indicators of school crime and safety, including violent deaths; nonfatal student and teacher victimization; school environment; fights, weapons, and illegal substances; fear and avoidance; discipline, safety, and security measures; and postsecondary campus safety and security. Selected findings on opioids, bullying, and active shooter incidents in educational settings are also included. Data sources include the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement to the NCVS, the School-Associated Violent Death Surveillance System, the School Survey on Crime and Safety, the Schools and Staffing Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, and the Campus Safety and Security Survey.

Highlights:

• Based on the 2017 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), students ages 12 to 18 experienced 827,000 total victimizations (i.e., theft and nonfatal violent victimization) at school and 503,800 total victimizations away from school.
• From 2000 to 2017, there were 153 casualties (67 killed and 86 wounded) in active shooter incidents at elementary and secondary schools and 143 casualties (70 killed and 73 wounded) in active shooter incidents at postsecondary institutions.
• In 2017, about 6% of students ages 12 to 18 reported being called hate-related words at school during the school year, representing a decrease from 12% in 2001. This percentage also decreased between 2001 and 2017 for male and female students as well as for white, black, and Hispanic students.
• Between 2001 and 2017, the percentage of students ages 12 to 18 who reported that gangs were present at their school during the school year decreased overall (from 20% to 9%), as well as for students from urban areas (from 29% to 11%), suburban areas (from 18% to 8%), and rural areas (from 13% to 7%).
• During the 2015-16 school year, 47% of schools reported one or more crime incidents to police. The percentage of public schools reporting incidents to police was lower in 2015-16 than in every prior survey year..."
  School crime

Indicators Of School Crime And Safety: 2017

"This annual report, produced jointly by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, presents data on school crime and safety from the perspectives of students, teachers, and principals. It contains 23 indicators of school crime and safety, including violent deaths; nonfatal student and teacher victimization; school environment; fights, weapons, and illegal substances; fear and avoidance; discipline, safety, and security measures; and campus safety and security. Data sources include the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the NCVS, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), and the School and Staffing Survey (SASS).

Highlights:

• In 2016, students ages 12-18 experienced 749,400 victimizations (theft and nonfatal violent victimization) at school and 601,300 victimizations away from school. The total victimization rates were 29 victimizations per 1,000 students at school and 24 per 1,000 students away from school.
• In 2016, the rate of total victimization at school was higher for males (38 victimizations per 1,000 male students) than for females (20 per 1,000 female students).
• During the 2015-16 school year, the percentage of public schools that reported student bullying occurred at least once a week was higher for middle schools (22%) than for high schools (15%), combined schools (11%), and primary schools (8%).
• The percentage of public schools that had a plan in place for procedures to be performed in the event of a shooting increased over time, from 79% in 2003-04 to 92% in 2015-16..."
  School crime

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2017

"A joint effort by the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in schools and colleges. This report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources—the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the School Survey on Crime and Safety, the Schools and Staffing Survey, EDFacts, and the Campus Safety and Security Survey. The report covers topics such as victimization, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, the presence of security staff at school, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions...."
School crime

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016

"This report covers topics such as victimization, teacher injury, bullying and cyber-bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions. Indicators of crime and safety are compared across different population subgroups and over time. Data on crimes that occur away from school are offered as a point of comparison where available..."
School crime

Protecting Your Child's Personal Information at School
"Back to school – an annual ritual that includes buying new notebooks, packing lunches, coordinating transportation, and filling out forms: registration forms, health forms, permission slips, and emergency contact forms, to name a few. Many school forms require personal and, sometimes, sensitive information. In the wrong hands, this information can be used to commit fraud in your child's name. For example, a child's Social Security number can be used by identity thieves and other criminals to apply for government benefits, open bank and credit card accounts, apply for a loan or utility service, or rent a place to live.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, cautions that when children are victims of identity theft, the crime may go undetected for years – or at least until they apply for a job, a student loan or a car loan, or want to rent an apartment..."

Indicators Of School Crime And Safety: 2010 (Revised)
"This report has been revised. Please note the corrected number in red below, and on page 'iii' of the revised Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010 PDF file.

Presents data on crime and safety at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, and principals. A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It also provides the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools and school environments; and responses to violence and crime at school. Data are drawn from several federally funded collections, including the National Crime Victimization Survey, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, School Survey on Crime and Safety, and the Schools and Staffing Survey.

Information was gathered from an array of sources including:
- National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) (1992-2008)
- School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (1995, 1991, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007)
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009)
- School Survey on Crime and Safety (1999-2000, 2003-04, 2005-06, and 2007-08)
- School and Staffing Survey (1993-94, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2007-08).."

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010
"This report is the thirteenth in a series of annual publications produced jointly by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), in the U.S. Department of Education, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the U.S. Department of Justice. This report presents the most recent data available on school crime and student safety. The indicators in this report are based on information drawn from a variety of data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, and principals. Sources include results from a study of violent deaths in schools, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Crime Victimization Survey and School Crime Supplement to the survey, sponsored by the BJS and NCES, respectively; the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the Schools and Staffing Survey and School Survey on Crime and Safety, both sponsored by NCES. The most recent data collection for each indicator varied by survey, from 2007 to 2009. Each data source has an independent sample design, data collection method, and questionnaire design, or is the result of a universe data collection. All comparisons described in this report are statistically significant at the .05 level. Additional information about methodology and the datasets analyzed in this report may be found in appendix A.

This report covers topics such as victimization, teacher injury, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, and student perceptions of personal safety at school. Indicators of crime and safety are compared across different population subgroups and over time. Data on crimes that occur away from school are offered as a point of comparison where available."

2007-08 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) Public-use Data File
"The 2007-08 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) public-use data file (NCES 2010-368) provides variables related to school safety, including the frequency of school crime and violence, disciplinary actions, and school practices related to the prevention and reduction of crime.

The codebook (NCES 2010-334) and survey documentation (NCES 2010-307) are available through the SSOCS web site and in the NCES Publications and Products catalog..."

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2009
"Presents data on crime and safety at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, and principals. A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It also provides the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools and school environments and responses to violence and crime at school. Data are drawn from several federally funded collections including the National Crime Victimization Survey, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, School Survey on Crime and Safety, and the Schools and Staffing Survey.

Information was gathered from an array of sources including:
- National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) (1992-2007)
- School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (1995, 1991, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007)
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007)
- School Survey on Crime and Safety (1999-2000, 2003-04, 2005-06, and 2007-08)
- School and Staffing Survey (1993-94, 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2007-08)
Highlights include the following:

In 2007, students ages 12–18 were victims of about 1.5 million nonfatal crimes (theft plus violent crime) while they were at school, compared to about 1.1 million nonfatal crimes while they were away from school.
In 2007, 10 percent of male students in grades 9–12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past year, compared to 5 percent of female students.
During the 2007–08 school year, a greater percentage of teachers in city schools (10 percent) reported being threatened with injury than teachers in town schools (7 percent) and suburban or rural schools."

Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools, Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2007-08
"This First Look report uses data from the 2007-08 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) to examine a range of issues dealing with school crime and safety, such as the frequency of school crime and violence, disciplinary actions, and school practices related to the prevention and reduction of crime. SSOCS is the primary source of school-level data on crime and safety for NCES. Since 1999, it has been administered four times to the principals of nationally representative samples of public primary, middle, high, and combined schools."