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Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2011
NCES 2012-002
February 2012

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Table 6.3.

Percentage of public schools reporting incidents of crime at school to the police, number of incidents, and the rate of crimes per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected school characteristics: School year 2009–10

  Total number of schools   Violent incidents1   Serious violent incidents2   Theft3   Other incidents4
School characteristic   Percent
of
schools		   Number
of
incidents		   Rate per 1,000 students   Percent
of
schools		   Number
of
incidents		   Rate per 1,000 students   Percent
of
schools		   Number
of
incidents		   Rate per 1,000 students   Percent
of
schools		   Number
of
incidents		   Rate per 1,000 students
Total 82,800   39.9   303,900   6.4   10.4   23,500   0.5   25.4   122,800   2.6   46.3   262,400   5.5
                                                   
School level5                                                  
Primary 48,900   21.1   35,300   1.6   5.5   6,100   0.3   9.3   9,500   0.4   30.3   40,100   1.8
Middle 15,300   65.9   100,100   10.7   15.5   6,300   0.7   41.1   27,100   2.9   65.4   60,300   6.4
High school 12,200   76.6   146,200   11.8   24.9   10,200   0.8   64.1   73,800   6.0   83.6   146,200   11.8
Combined 6,400   51.0   22,300   7.5   8.4   1,000 ! 0.3 ! 36.9   12,500   4.2   52.0   15,900   5.3
Enrollment size                                                  
Less than 300 18,900   22.6   14,800   3.6   4.7 ! 1,400   0.3   14.6   7,800   1.9   30.1   16,000   3.9
300–499 25,200   31.4   36,800   3.6   7.1   3,700   0.4   17.1   12,800   1.2   40.2   33,100   3.2
500–999 29,800   45.6   93,400   4.8   10.6   7,900   0.4   26.4   31,000   1.6   48.9   74,300   3.8
1,000 or more 8,900   81.1   159,000   11.9   31.1   10,600   0.8   68.4   71,200   5.3   89.0   139,000   10.4
Locale                                                  
City 21,500   42.5   94,100   6.8   14.0   9,200   0.7   23.7   37,000   2.7   50.6   91,000   6.6
Suburban 23,800   39.9   107,600   6.5   10.0   7,300   0.4   26.3   39,900   2.4   47.5   85,700   5.2
Town 12,100   43.1   39,100   6.6   9.9   2,100   0.4   26.9   16,400   2.8   48.1   35,900   6.1
Rural 25,300   36.0   63,200   5.7   8.1   4,900   0.4   25.3   29,500   2.7   40.8   49,800   4.5
Percent combined enrollment of
      Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific
      Islander, or American Indian/
      Alaska Native students		                                                  
Less than 5 percent 11,700   36.5   20,000   4.3   7.1   1,400   0.3   23.5   10,200   2.2   38.5   20,200   4.3
5 percent to less than 20 percent 20,900   35.8   48,800   4.4   6.5   3,200   0.3   24.8   30,100   2.7   40.1   53,200   4.7
20 percent to less than 50 percent 20,000   41.7   75,000   5.9   10.3   5,000   0.4   26.8   34,900   2.7   46.3   65,500   5.1
50 percent or more 30,100   42.8   160,200   8.5   14.5   14,100   0.7   25.7   47,500   2.5   53.7   123,500   6.6
Percent of students eligible for
      free or reduced-price lunch		                                                  
0–25 17,100   33.8   42,200   3.6   7.4   3,600   0.3   26.8   30,500   2.6   40.6   54,200   4.6
26–50 22,700   42.7   76,100   5.8   10.7   5,000   0.4   31.2   43,300   3.3   48.0   76,900   5.9
51–75 23,800   40.3   87,200   7.1   8.8   5,400   0.4   22.9   31,200   2.6   47.5   72,300   5.9
76–100 19,100   41.4   98,400   9.8   14.7   9,500   0.9   20.3   17,800   1.8   48.0   59,000   5.8
Student/teacher ratio6                                                  
Less than 12 12,300   36.8   29,000   6.9   8.7   2,200   0.5   24.8   11,400   2.7   46.4   22,100   5.3
12–16 32,600   41.5   128,500   7.4   10.0   7,900   0.5   25.8   42,100   2.4   45.6   88,900   5.1
More than 16 37,900   39.4   146,400   5.7   11.3   13,400   0.5   25.3   69,300   2.7   46.9   151,500   5.9
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 30 percent or greater.
1 "Violent incidents" include rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with or without a weapon, threat of physical attack with or without a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon.
2 "Serious violent incidents" include 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 or 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." This 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 motor vehicle parts or accessories, theft of a bicycle, theft from a vending machine, 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; vandalism; and inappropriate distribution, possession, or use of prescription drugs.
5 Primary schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not higher than grade 3 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 8. Middle schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not lower than grade 4 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 9. High schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not lower than grade 9 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 12. Combined schools include all other combinations of grades, including K–12 schools.
6 Student/teacher ratio was calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled in the school by the total number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) teachers. Information regarding the total number of FTE teachers was obtained from the Common Core of Data (CCD), the sampling frame for SSOCS.
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 and schools are rounded to the nearest 100.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2000–10 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2010.
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