Elementary and Secondary Education

School Characteristics and Climate

Table A-14-2. Percentage of public schools recording incidents of crime that occurred at school, by type of incident, number of incidents, and selected school characteristics: School year 2009–10

School characteristic	Violent incidents¹							Serious violent incidents²							Theft³	Other⁴
	At least one	Number of incidents						At least one	Number of incidents						Theft³	Other⁴
	At least one	None	1–2		3–9	10–19	20 or more	At least one	None	1–2	3–9		10 or more		At least one	At least one
Total	73.8	26.2	7.6		29.0	17.8	19.4	16.4	83.6	10.9	4.0		1.5		44.1	68.1
School level
Primary	64.4	35.6	7.6		31.5	13.8	11.4	13.0	87.0	8.6	3.5		0.9	!	25.7	57.3
Middle	90.5	9.5	6.0		25.8	24.4	34.3	18.9	81.1	13.1	3.9		1.9		65.2	81.9
High school	90.9	9.1	8.4		22.7	25.1	34.8	27.6	72.4	16.3	8.4		2.9		82.6	92.2
Combined	73.7	26.3	10.3	!	29.0	18.6	15.8	15.5	84.5	12.5	‡		‡		60.5	72.5
Enrollment size
Less than 300	62.8	37.2	12.7		32.3	10.6	7.3	10.4	89.6	6.9	2.7	!	‡		30.7	55.3
300–499	71.3	28.7	8.2		29.2	17.9	16.0	15.7	84.3	11.6	3.3		‡		36.4	63.3
500–999	76.4	23.6	5.2		30.7	20.8	19.8	15.9	84.1	10.7	3.8		1.4	!	46.7	72.5
1,000 or more	95.4	4.6	3.6		15.6	22.6	53.7	32.8	67.2	17.9	9.7		5.2		84.9	94.3
Locale
City	74.9	25.1	4.5		27.7	17.7	25.0	21.7	78.3	14.4	5.7		1.7		47.6	73.5
Suburb	73.5	26.5	6.3		29.7	18.3	19.3	15.5	84.5	9.9	3.6		2.0	!	43.1	66.1
Town	80.3	19.7	8.1		31.2	20.1	20.8	15.6	84.4	10.6	4.1		0.9	!	46.2	74.1
Rural	70.2	29.8	11.4		28.3	16.3	14.2	13.2	86.8	8.9	3.1		1.3	!	41.1	62.6
Racial/ethnic concentration
More than 50 percent White	71.3	28.7	9.4		29.3	16.3	16.4	13.9	86.1	9.1	3.3		1.4		42.0	64.2
More than 50 percent Black	82.1	17.9	‡		24.9	26.2	29.3	21.0	79.0	13.4	6.1		‡		46.6	70.9
More than 50 percent Hispanic	76.7	23.3	5.9		29.8	18.0	22.9	20.9	79.1	14.1	5.1		1.7		48.3	76.8
Percentage of students in school eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
0–25 percent	62.6	37.4	7.4		27.9	15.1	12.1	10.5	89.5	7.3	1.7		1.5	!	40.3	56.2
26–50 percent	76.0	24.0	9.0		30.5	17.6	18.9	16.2	83.8	11.3	3.9		1.0		48.8	68.2
51–75 percent	73.8	26.2	7.9		27.4	17.5	21.0	15.8	84.2	10.4	4.4		1.0	!	41.2	73.5
76–100 percent	81.4	18.6	5.9		30.0	20.8	24.7	22.9	77.1	14.2	6.0		2.7	!	45.5	72.1

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 30 percent or greater.

‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.

1 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.

²Serious violent incidents include 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.

3 Theft/larceny (taking things worth over $10 without personal confrontation) includes 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.

4 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; inappropriate distribution, possession, or use of prescription drugs; and vandalism.

NOTE: “At school” was defined 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 normal school hours or when school activities or events were in session. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. For more information on race/ethnicity, locale, and poverty, see Appendix C – Commonly Used Measures. For more information on the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), see Appendix B – Guide to Sources.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2009–10 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2010.

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