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Digest of Education Statistics
2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 233.50. Percentage of public and private schools with various safety and security measures, by school level: 2003-04, 2007-08, and 2011–12
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
School control and school safety and security measure Total1 Elementary schools2 Secondary schools2
2003–04 2007–08 2011-12 2003–04 2007–08 2011-12 2003–04 2007–08 2011-12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Public schools                                                      
Controlled access during school hours                                                      
Buildings (e.g., locked or monitored doors) 81.5   (0.60) 88.8   (0.63) 88.2   (0.56) 84.7   (0.65) 92.1   (0.71) 90.4   (0.67) 75.0   (1.33) 82.1   (1.42) 83.9   (1.04)
Grounds (e.g., locked or monitored gates) 39.4   (0.83) 44.9   (1.12) 44.1   (0.72) 39.0   (1.03) 45.7   (1.61) 45.4   (0.94) 41.4   (1.38) 43.3   (1.53) 39.6   (1.13)
                                                       
Student dress, IDs, and school supplies                                                      
Required students to wear uniforms 13.5   (0.53) 16.5   (0.83) 19.3   (0.54) 14.7   (0.67) 17.5   (1.05) 20.3   (0.76) 8.8   (1.11) 12.1   (1.19) 12.2   (0.69)
Enforced a strict dress code 49.3   (0.70) 54.0   (0.99) 49.1   (0.68) 45.2   (0.94) 50.0   (1.38) 44.6   (0.94) 59.7   (1.33) 64.4   (1.87) 58.3   (1.02)
Required students to wear badges or picture IDs 6.1   (0.31) 7.5   (0.53) 7.4   (0.33) 3.5   (0.35) 4.1   (0.57) 4.6   (0.32) 14.1   (0.74) 16.8   (1.15) 14.3   (1.02)
Required clear book bags or banned book bags on
   school grounds
6.0   (0.31) 6.8   (0.43) 5.7   (0.28) 3.3   (0.32) 4.7   (0.54) 3.2   (0.28) 11.3   (0.74) 10.5   (1.07) 9.3   (0.72)
                                                       
Metal detectors, dogs, sweeps, and cameras                                                      
Random metal detector checks on students 5.7   (0.32) 5.9   (0.45) 5.0   (0.32) 3.4   (0.33) 3.0   (0.48) 2.6   (0.28) 10.2   (0.64) 11.9   (1.05) 7.9   (0.63)
Students required to pass through metal detectors daily 2.0   (0.21) 2.3   (0.31) 2.7   (0.33) 0.8 ! (0.23) 0.3 ! (0.14) 0.8   (0.16) 3.7   (0.38) 5.2   (1.03) 4.6   (0.65)
Random dog sniffs to check for drugs 23.6   (0.59) 25.0   (0.68) 24.0   (0.40) 10.8   (0.62) 13.2   (0.83) 10.6   (0.39) 56.5   (1.59) 54.6   (1.59) 57.3   (1.28)
Random sweeps4 for contraband (e.g., drugs or weapons) 12.8   (0.48) 14.8   (0.76) 12.1   (0.44) 5.6   (0.44) 7.6   (0.84) 5.0   (0.39) 28.2   (1.33) 30.5   (1.59) 26.1   (1.16)
Security cameras used to monitor the school 32.5   (0.68) 51.8   (0.94) 64.3   (0.75) 26.3   (0.77) 46.1   (1.29) 57.7   (0.97) 51.1   (1.55) 68.7   (1.77) 81.2   (1.07)
                                                       
Daily presence of police or security personnel 24.8   (0.59) 27.2   (0.99) 28.1   (0.51) 15.5   (0.62) 16.2   (1.14) 17.1   (0.57) 53.9   (1.61) 58.3   (1.93) 57.6   (1.44)
                                                       
Private schools                                                      
Controlled access during school hours                                                      
Buildings (e.g., locked or monitored doors) 73.5   (1.02) 81.5   (1.15) 80.1   (1.50) 79.5   (1.19) 84.1   (1.35) 82.0   (2.22) 62.9   (3.65) 76.9   (2.83) 71.5   (3.50)
Grounds (e.g., locked or monitored gates) 40.2   (1.08) 42.4   (1.22) 42.1   (1.43) 44.9   (1.32) 45.6   (1.50) 44.0   (1.99) 32.2   (3.80) 34.7   (3.37) 34.0   (4.67)
                                                       
Student dress, IDs, and school supplies                                                      
Required students to wear uniforms 55.5   (1.06) 55.4   (1.19) 56.9   (1.77) 60.6   (1.27) 62.2   (1.68) 60.0   (2.21) 44.9   (3.53) 42.8   (3.22) 49.2   (4.55)
Enforced a strict dress code 73.7   (1.00) 76.3   (1.08) 71.3   (1.49) 74.1   (1.32) 75.9   (1.48) 71.2   (2.12) 70.0   (3.78) 75.3   (3.36) 70.8   (3.13)
Required students to wear badges or picture IDs 2.2   (0.30) 2.9   (0.42) 2.7   (0.48) 1.0   (0.27) 1.6   (0.38) 1.4   (0.40) 9.8   (2.10) 6.2   (1.27) 8.2   (1.91)
Required clear book bags or banned book bags on
   school grounds
2.3   (0.35) 3.2   (0.43) 1.7   (0.33) 1.0   (0.30) 1.7   (0.46) 0.9 ! (0.30) 9.4   (2.59) 7.5   (2.11) 5.2   (1.47)
                                                       
Metal detectors, dogs, sweeps, and cameras                                                      
Random metal detector checks on students 0.7   (0.20) 1.1   (0.24) 1.2 ! (0.42)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
Students required to pass through metal detectors daily 0.8   (0.21) 0.6 ! (0.19) 0.4 ! (0.16)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)   (†)
Random dog sniffs to check for drugs 3.4   (0.35) 3.9   (0.43) 4.1   (0.45)   (†) 0.4 ! (0.20)   (†) 15.0   (2.04) 17.0   (2.32) 16.3   (2.36)
Random sweeps4 for contraband (e.g., drugs or weapons) 7.7   (0.61) 8.8   (0.69) 7.5   (0.93) 2.4   (0.52) 2.1   (0.42) 1.5 ! (0.68) 23.3   (3.75) 26.0   (3.64) 20.4   (2.95)
Security cameras used to monitor the school 19.4   (0.79) 32.9   (1.21) 40.6   (1.51) 19.9   (0.97) 31.4   (1.65) 39.8   (2.18) 24.3   (3.11) 43.1   (3.64) 52.0   (5.46)
                                                       
Daily presence of police or security personnel 5.9   (0.50) 6.4   (0.54) 7.2   (0.77) 3.1   (0.50) 4.3   (0.61) 3.9   (0.80) 16.2   (2.99) 11.8   (2.46) 19.2   (4.77)
†Not applicable.
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.
1 Includes combined elementary/secondary schools not separately shown.
2 Elementary schools are those with any of grades kindergarten through grade 6 and none of grades 9 through 12.
3 Secondary schools have any of grades 7 through 12 and none of grades kindergarten through grade 6.
4 Does not include random dog sniffs.
NOTE: Responses were provided by the principal.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Principal Data File" and "Private School Principal Data File," 2003-04, 2007-08, and 2011-12. (This table was prepared August 2013.)

2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest