4. Prevalence of students being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property*

Every year, some students are threatened or injured with a weapon while they are on school property. The percentages of students victimized in this way provide an important measure of how safe our schools are and how this is changing over time.

• The percentage of students in grades 9 through 12 who were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the 12 months before the survey has remained constant in recent years. In 1993, 1995, and 1997, about 7 to 8 percent of students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club on school property in the past 12 months (figure 4.1 and table 4.1).
• In each survey year, males were more likely than females to report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property (figure 4.1 and table 4.1). For example, in 1997, 10 percent of males reported being threatened or injured in the past year, compared with 4 percent of females. Moreover, the percentage of females who reported being threatened or injured declined slightly over the period-from about 5 percent in 1993 to 4 percent in 1997.
• Of 9th through 12th graders, those students in lower grades were more likely to be threatened or injured with a weapon on school property than were students in higher grades (figure 4.2 and table 4.1). For example, in 1993, 9 percent of 9th graders reported being threatened or injured, compared with 6 percent of 12th graders. The comparable percentages in 1997 were 10 percent for 9th graders and 6 percent for 12th graders.
• There were few racial/ethnic differences in the percentages of students being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the 12 months in each year (figure 4.3 and table 4.1). About the same percentage of students from each racial/ethnic group reported being threatened or injured³.

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