Table 7. Number and percentage of public schools reporting disruptions at school from death threats, bomb threats, or chemical, biological, or radiological threats, the number of incidents reported, and the rate of disruptions per 1,000 students, by selected school characteristics: School year 2007

Crime and Safety Surveys

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Table 7. Number and percentage of public schools reporting disruptions at school from death threats, bomb threats, or chemical, biological, or radiological threats, the number of incidents reported, and the rate of disruptions per 1,000 students, by selected school characteristics: School year 2007–08

	Disruptions from death threats, bomb threats, or chemical, biological, or radiological threats
School characteristic	Number of schools		Percent of schools		Number of incidents		Rate per 1,000 students
All public schools	6,210		8		10,020		#

Level¹
Primary	2,060		4		2,510		#
Middle	1,610		11		3,440		#
High school	2,140		18		3,490		#
Combined	390	!	6	!	580	!	#

Enrollment size
Less than 300	710	!	4	!	1,050	!	#
300–499	1,340		6		1,620		#
500–999	2,380		8		4,010		#
1,000 or more	1,780		19		3,330		#

Urbanicity
City	1,670		8		3,270		#
Suburb	1,990		8		3,070		#
Town	900		8		1,130		#
Rural	1,640		6		2,560		#

Crime level where students live²
High	610		10		1,170		#
Moderate	1,570		9		2,770		#
Low	3,100		6		4,600		#
Mixed	920		9		1,480		#

Percent of combined Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian/ Alaska Native students³
Less than 5 percent	930		7		1,590		#
5 to less than 20 percent	1,470		7		2,200		#
20 to less than 50 percent	1,580		8		2,210		#
50 percent or more	2,230		8		4,020		#

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
0–20 percent	1,030		6		1,600		#
21–50 percent	2,270		8		3,260		#
More than 50 percent	2,910		8		5,170		#

Percent of students below 15th percentile on standardized tests
0–5 percent	1,680		6		2,560		#
6–15 percent	2,900		9		4,410		#
More than 15 percent	1,640		8		3,040		#

Percent of students likely to attend college
0–35 percent	1,530		7		2,690		#
36–60 percent	2,050		9		3,020		#
More than 60 percent	2,640		7		4,310		#

Percent of students who consider academic achievement important
0–25 percent	450		8		660		#
26–50 percent	1,540		11		2,650		#
51–75 percent	2,310		9		3,690		#
More than 75 percent	1,920		5		3,020		#

Percent male enrollment
0–44 percent	430		6		890	!	#
45–55 percent	5,020		8		8,000		#
More than 55 percent	760		8		1,130		#

Student-to-FTE ratio⁴
Less than 12 students	3,140		7		4,930		#
12–16 students	2,260		8		4,000		#
More than 16 students	810		7		1,090		#

Number of classroom changes⁵
0–3 changes	1,220		6		1,600		#
4–6 changes	2,600		7		4,400		#
More than 6 changes	2,400		10		4,020		#

Regular use of law enforcement⁶
Regular use	4,540		12		7,820		#
No regular use	1,680		4		2,200		#

Number of serious discipline problems⁷
No problems	3,110		6		4,410		#
1 problem	1,540		10		2,520		#
2 problems	830		16		1,390		#
3 or more problems	740		15		1,690		#

Transfers as a percentage of enrollment⁸
Less than 6 percent	1,130		6		1,430		#
6 to less than 11 percent	1,180		7		1,870		#
11 to less than 21 percent	2,020		8		3,220		#
21 percent or more	1,880		8		3,510		#

Percent of students absent on a daily basis
0–2 percent	650	!	8	!	860	!	#
3–5 percent	2,400		5		3,950		#
6–10 percent	2,510		10		4,210		#
More than 10 percent	650		13		1,000		#

Prevalence of violent incidents⁹
No violent incidents	370	!	2	!	550	!	#	!
Any violent incidents	5,840		9		9,470		#
#Rounds to zero.
!Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 percent to 50 percent of the estimate’s value.
¹ 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.
² Respondents were asked, "How would you describe the crime level in the area(s) in which your students live?" Response options included "high level of crime," "moderate level of crime," "low evel of crime," and "students come from areas with very different levels of crime."
³ Other race/ethnicities include Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
⁴ Student-to-FTE ratio was calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled in the school by the total number of full-time-equivalent teachers and aides. The total number of full-time-equivalent teachers and aides is a combination of the full-time and part-time teachers and aides, including special education teachers and aides, with an adjustment to compensate for the part-time status.
⁵ Respondents were asked, "How many classroom changes do most students make in a typical day?" Responses exclude morning arrival and afternoon departure.
⁶ Respondents were asked, "During the 2007–08 school year, did you have any security guards, security personnel, or sworn law enforcement officers present at your school at least once a week?"
⁷ Serious discipline problems include student racial/ethnic tensions, student bullying, student sexual harassment of other students, student verbal abuse of teachers, widespread disorder in classrooms, student acts of disrespect for teachers other than verbal abuse, gang activities, and cult or extremist group activities. If a respondent reported that any of these problems occurred daily or weekly in their school, each was counted once in the total number of serious discipline problems.
⁸ Transfers as a percentage of enrollment combines the number of students who were transferred to a school and the number of students who were transferred from a school divided by the total number of students enrolled in the school.
⁹ Violent incidents include rape or attempted 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.
NOTE: "At school" was defined for respondents to include activities happening in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at places that hold school-sponsored events or activities. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about crime and safety issues at the school.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2007–08 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2008.

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