In 2005-06, some 17 percent of public schools experienced at least one serious violent incident. About 3 percent of public schools experienced 10 or more of such incidents.

In the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), public school principals were asked to provide the number of incidents of specific crimes that occurred at their schools, as well as the number of incidents of these crimes reported to the police. Each incident of crime was then categorized as a serious violent incident, a violent incident (which includes serious violent incidents), a theft incident, or an "other" incident (see technical notes for detailed definitions). During the 2005-06 school year, 86 percent of public schools indicated that one or more incidents of these crimes had taken place, a lower percentage than that for the 2003-04 school year (88 percent) (see table A-27-1). However, the percentage of schools experiencing crimes in 2005-06 was not measurably different from the percentage in 1999-2000. Reports of crimes to the police followed a similar pattern. In 2005-06, about 61 percent of schools reported an incident of one of the specified crimes to the police, compared with 65 percent in 2003-04 and 62 percent in 1999-2000.

In terms of specific types of crime, in 2005-06, some 78 percent of schools experienced one or more violent incidents of crime, including 17 percent of schools that experienced one or more serious violent incidents. In addition, some 46 percent of schools experienced one or more thefts, and 68 percent experienced one or more other incidents. Thirty-eight percent of public schools reported at least one violent incident to the police, 13 percent reported at least one serious violent incident to the police, 28 percent reported at least one theft to the police, and 51 percent reported one or more of the other incidents to the police.

Some schools had significantly more incidents of violent and serious violent crimes than other schools in 2005-06. For example, 46 percent of schools experienced 20 or more violent incidents, compared with 8 percent that experienced 6-9 of such incidents and 22 percent that experienced no incidents (see table A-27-2). Although 83 percent of schools did not experience any incidents of serious violent crime, 2 percent experienced 1 serious violent incident, 4 percent experienced 2 such incidents, 6 percent experienced 3-5 incidents, 2 percent experienced 6-9 incidents, and 3 percent experienced 10 or more such incidents.

The percentage of schools that experienced violent crime varied by school characteristics. A larger percentage of city schools (53 percent) experienced 20 or more violent incidents than did urban fringe schools (42 percent) and rural schools (43 percent) in 2005-06. There was no measurable difference in the percentages of city and town schools that experienced 20 or more violent incidents. Looking at free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, as the percentage of students eligible increased, so did the percentage of schools that experienced 20 or more violent incidents. In 2005-06, a higher percentage of high poverty schools (55 percent) had 20 or more violent incidents than mid-poverty schools (45 percent) and low poverty schools (29 percent).

Technical Notes

"Violent incidents" include serious violent incidents (rape or attempted rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon), physical attack or fight without a weapon, and threat of physical attack without a weapon. "Theft/larceny" (taking things worth over $10 without personal confrontation) was defined for respondents as "the unlawful taking of another person's property without personal confrontation, threat, violence, or bodily harm. Included are pocket picking, stealing a purse or backpack (if left unattended or no force was used to take it from owner), theft from a building, theft from a motor vehicle or of motor vehicle parts or accessories, theft of bicycles, theft from vending machines, and all other types of thefts." "Other incidents" include possession of a firearm or explosive device, possession of a knife or sharp object, distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs or alcohol, and vandalism. High poverty schools are defined here as schools where more than 50 percent of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, mid-poverty schools are defined as schools where 21 to 50 percent of the students were eligible, and low poverty schools are defined as schools where 20 percent or less of the students were eligible. "At school" was defined for respondents to include activities that happen in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at places that hold school-sponsored events or activities. Respondents were instructed to include incidents that occurred before, during, or after school hours or when school activities or events were in session. For more information on the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), see supplemental note 3, and for more information on locale and poverty, see supplemental note 1.