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Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010
NCES 2011-002
November 2010

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Table 6.1.

Percentage of public schools recording and reporting incidents of crime, number of incidents, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by type of crime: Various school years, 1999–2000 through 2007–08

  Recorded incidents   Reported incidents to police
  1999–2000   2003–04   2005–06   2007–08   1999–2000   2003–04   2005–06   2007–08
Type of crime Percent
of
schools		   Percent
of
schools		   Percent
of
schools		   Percent
of
schools		   Number
of
incidents		   Rate per
1,000
students		   Percent
of
schools		   Percent
of
schools		   Percent
of
schools		   Percent
of
schools		   Number
of
incidents		   Rate per
1,000
students
                                               
Total 86.4   88.5   85.7   85.5   2,040,800   42.7   62.5   65.2   60.9   62.0   704,200   14.7
                                               
Violent incidents 71.4   81.4   77.7   75.5   1,332,400   27.9   36.0   43.6   37.7   37.8   302,600   6.3
Physical attack or fight without a weapon 63.7   76.7   74.3   72.7   812,200   17.0   25.8   35.6   29.2   28.2   171,000   3.6
Threat of physical attack without a weapon 52.2   53.0   52.2   47.8   461,900   9.7   18.9   21.0   19.7   19.5   102,100   2.1
Serious violent incidents 19.7   18.3   17.1   17.2   58,300   1.2   14.8   13.3   12.6   12.6   29,400   0.6
Rape or attempted rape 0.7   0.8   0.3   0.8   800   #   0.6   0.8   0.3   0.8   800   #
Sexual battery other than rape 2.5   3.0   2.8   2.5   3,800   0.1   2.3   2.6   2.6   2.1   2,700   0.1
Physical attack or fight with a weapon 5.2   4.0   3.0   3.0   14,000   0.3   3.9   2.8   2.2   2.1   5,400   0.1
Threat of physical attack with a weapon 11.1   8.6   8.8   9.3   20,300   0.4   8.5   6.0   5.9   5.7   9,100   0.2
Robbery with a weapon 0.5 ! 0.6   0.4   0.4 ! 700 ! #   0.3 ! 0.6   0.4   0.4 ! 600 ! #
Robbery without a weapon 5.3   6.3   6.4   5.2   18,700   0.4   3.4   4.2   4.9   4.1   10,700   0.2
                                               
Theft1 45.6   46.0   46.0   47.3   268,900   5.6   28.5   30.5   27.9   31.0   133,800   2.8
                                               
Other incidents 72.7   64.0   68.2   67.4   439,500   9.2   52.0   50.0   50.6   48.7   267,800   5.6
Possession of a firearm/explosive device 5.5   6.1   7.2   4.7   5,300   0.1   4.5   4.9   5.5   3.6   3,900   0.1
Possession of a knife or sharp object 42.6   —   42.8   40.6   77,000   1.6   23.0   —   25.0   23.3   43,200   0.9
Distribution of illegal drugs 12.3   12.9   —   —   —   —   11.4   12.4   —   —   —   —
Possession or use of alcohol or illegal drugs 26.6   29.3   —   —   —   —   22.2   26.0   —   —   —   —
Distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs —   —   25.9   23.2   107,300   2.2   —   —   22.8   20.7   94,300   2.0
Distribution, possession, or use of alcohol —   —   16.2   14.9   37,800   0.8   —   —   11.6   10.6   26,900   0.6
Sexual harassment 36.3   —   —   —   —   —   14.7   —   —   —   —   —
Vandalism 51.4   51.4   50.5   49.3   212,100   4.4   32.7   34.3   31.9   30.8   99,500   2.1
— Not available.
# Rounds to zero.
! Interpret data with caution.
1 Theft/larceny includes taking things worth over $10 without personal confrontation. Please see appendix B for a more detailed definition.
NOTE: Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about crime and safety issues at the school. “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 normal school hours or when school activities or events were in session. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Estimates of number of incidents are rounded to the nearest 100.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2005–06, and 2007–08 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2008.
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