Table 4. Number and percentage of public schools reporting student threats of physical attack and incidents of robbery that occurred at school, the number of incidents, and the rate of incidents per 1,000 students, by selected school characteristics: School year 2009

School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS)

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Table 4. Number and percentage of public schools reporting student threats of physical attack and incidents of robbery that occurred at school, the number of incidents, and the rate of incidents per 1,000 students, by selected school characteristics: School year 2009–10


	Student threat of physical attack with a weapon¹								Student threat of physical attack without a weapon¹				Robbery with a weapon^1,²							Robbery without a weapon¹^,2
School characteristic	Number of schools		Percent of schools		Number of incidents		Rate per 1,000 students		Number of schools	Percent of schools	Number of incidents	Rate per 1,000 students	Number of schools		Percent of schools		Number of incidents		Rate per 1,000 students	Number of schools		Percent of schools		Number of incidents		Rate per 1,000 students
All public schools	6,350		7.7		19,180		0.4		38,430	46.4	405,900	8.6	200		0.2		410	!	#	3,670		4.4		14,340		0.3

Level³
Primary	3,350		6.8		7,750		0.3		18,610	38.0	165,040	7.3	‡		‡		‡		‡	1,320		2.7		5,580	!	0.2	!
Middle	1,570		10.3		7,620		0.8		9,390	61.5	122,680	13.1	80	!	0.5	!	‡		‡	840		5.5		2,880		0.3
High school	1,220		10.0		3,230		0.3		7,570	61.9	93,890	7.6	130		1.0	!	‡		‡	1,300		10.6		5,520		0.4
Combined	210	!	3.4	!	‡		‡		2,850	44.9	24,290	8.1	‡		‡		‡		‡	‡		‡		‡		‡

Enrollment size
Less than 300	710	!	3.8	!	810	!	0.2	!	6,460	34.3	42,250	10.3	‡		‡		‡		‡	550	!	2.9	!	‡		‡
300–499	2,020		8.0		5,820	!	0.6	!	11,230	44.6	103,410	10.0	‡		‡		‡		‡	680		2.7		1,560	!	0.2
500–999	2,480		8.3		6,650		0.3		14,260	47.8	157,060	8.1	60	!	0.2	!	‡		‡	1,220		4.1		4,310		0.2	!
1,000 or more	1,150		12.8		5,900		0.4	!	6,480	72.5	103,190	7.7	120		1.3		150	!	#	1,220		13.7		6,820		0.5

Urbanicity
City	2,190		10.2		6,800		0.5		10,460	48.6	129,770	9.4	130	!	0.6	!	340	!	#	1,400		6.5		5,500		0.4
Suburb	1,850		7.7		6,710		0.4		11,040	46.3	122,900	7.4	60	!	0.2	!	60	!	#	820		3.4		3,180		0.2
Town	750		6.3		2,260	!	0.4	!	6,780	56.2	67,340	11.4	‡		‡		‡		‡	370	!	3.0	!	870	!	0.1	!
Rural	1,560		6.2		3,420		0.3		10,140	40.0	85,890	7.7	‡		‡		‡		‡	1,100		4.3		4,780	!	0.4	!

Crime level where students live⁴
High	990		16.7		4,970	!	1.3	!	3,520	59.3	60,560	15.7	90	!	1.4	!	‡		‡	610		10.2		3,030		0.8
Moderate	1,810		9.8		5,430		0.5		9,960	54.0	123,460	12.0	‡		‡		‡		‡	1,010		5.5		4,240		0.4
Low	2,680		5.6		6,660		0.3		19,710	41.3	155,510	5.9	50	!	0.1	!	50	!	#	1,290		2.7		5,110	!	0.2	!
Mixed	860		8.1		2,120	!	0.3	!	5,240	49.1	66,370	9.5	‡		0.4	!	‡		‡	770		7.2		1,960	!	0.3	!

Percent of combined Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students
Less than 5 percent	700		5.9		2,190	!	0.5	!	4,530	38.6	35,070	7.5	‡		‡		‡		‡	‡		‡		‡		‡
5 to less than 20 percent	1,000		4.8		2,990		0.3		9,120	43.6	76,530	6.8	‡		‡		‡		‡	490	!	2.3	!	2,260	!	0.2	!
20 to less than 50 percent	1,720		8.6		4,780		0.4		9,620	48.2	97,670	7.7	60	!	0.3	!	60	!	#	890		4.4		4,160		0.3	!
50 percent or more	2,940		9.8		9,220		0.5		15,150	50.3	196,630	10.5	130	!	0.4	!	340	!	#	2,110		7.0		7,720		0.4

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
0–20 percent	630		4.7		2,040	!	0.2	!	4,710	34.7	35,960	3.8	‡		‡		‡		‡	460		3.4		2,630	!	0.3	!
21–50 percent	1,560		5.9		4,640		0.3		12,520	47.7	115,380	7.4	50	!	0.2	!	50	!	#	1,180		4.5		3,930		0.3
More than 50 percent	4,160		9.7		12,500		0.6		21,200	49.4	254,570	11.4	120	!	0.3	!	330	!	#	2,040		4.7		7,780		0.3

Percent of students below 15th percentile on standardized tests
0–5 percent	1,840		5.6		5,720		0.3		12,790	38.6	111,710	6.1	‡		‡		‡		‡	1,190		3.6		4,190		0.2
6–15 percent	2,520		8.4		6,360		0.4		14,980	50.0	156,180	8.8	80	!	0.3	!	‡		‡	1,210		4.0		3,850		0.2	!
More than 15 percent	1,990		10.1		7,090		0.6		10,670	54.0	138,020	12.2	90	!	0.4	!	‡		‡	1,280		6.5		6,300		0.6

Percent of students likely to attend college
0–35 percent	1,720		9.4		6,970		0.8		9,510	52.0	141,450	15.3	50	!	0.3	!	‡		‡	990		5.4		3,120		0.3
36–60 percent	2,210		9.4		6,140		0.5		11,880	50.4	115,640	9.2	‡		‡		‡		‡	850		3.6		3,470		0.3
More than 60 percent	2,420		5.9		6,070		0.2		17,040	41.7	148,820	5.8	100	!	0.3	!	‡		‡	1,830		4.5		7,750		0.3

Percent of students who consider academic achievement important
0–25 percent	560		11.9		1,720	!	0.8	!	2,280	48.4	35,260	15.4	‡		‡		‡		‡	270	!	5.8	!	370	!	0.2	!
26–50 percent	1,080		8.8		3,590	!	0.5	!	6,660	54.8	85,460	12.6	‡		‡		‡		‡	740	!	6.0		2,720		0.4
51–75 percent	2,230		9.6		4,160		0.3		12,660	54.4	122,070	9.5	80	!	0.3	!	‡		‡	1,020		4.4		4,140		0.3
More than 75 percent	2,490		5.8		9,710		0.4		16,820	39.5	163,110	6.4	60	!	0.2	!	90	!	#	1,640		3.9		7,110		0.3

Percent male enrollment
0–44 percent	570		6.8		‡		‡		3,920	47.0	29,140	6.9	‡		‡		‡		‡	480		5.7		1,480		0.3	!
45–55 percent	5,510		8.4		16,590		0.4		31,380	47.6	351,730	8.9	140		0.2	!	220	!	#	2,750		4.2		11,600		0.3
More than 55 percent	280	!	3.3	!	380	!	0.1	!	3,130	37.1	25,030	6.7	‡		‡		‡		‡	450		5.3		1,260	!	0.3	!

Student-to-FTE ratio⁵
Less than 12 students	930		7.5		1,930	!	0.5	!	4,700	38.2	43,480	10.4	‡		‡		‡		‡	440		3.6		1,180	!	0.3	!
12–16 students	2,140		6.6		5,080		0.3		15,520	47.6	157,940	9.0	70	!	0.2	!	100	!	#	1,120		3.5		3,850		0.2
More than 16 students	3,290		8.7		12,180		0.5		18,210	48.1	204,490	8.0	120	!	0.3	!	‡		‡	2,110		5.6		9,300		0.4

Number of classroom changes ⁶
0–3 changes	1,280		6.7		3,130		0.3	!	5,730	30.3	41,890	4.7	‡		‡		‡		‡	430	!	2.3	!	1,280	!	0.1	!
4–6 changes	2,900		7.8		8,000		0.4		17,780	47.7	197,580	9.0	100	!	0.3		130	!	#	1,500		4.0		6,270		0.3
More than 6 changes	2,180		8.2		8,050		0.5		14,920	56.1	166,430	10.2	100	!	0.4	!	‡		‡	1,740		6.5		6,790		0.4

Regular use of law enforcement ⁷
Regular use	3,470		9.8		11,810		0.4		19,490	55.1	263,710	9.9	200		0.6		410	!	#	2,520		7.1		10,370		0.4
No regular use	2,880		6.1		7,380		0.4		18,940	40.0	142,200	6.9	‡		‡		‡		‡	1,160		2.4		3,970	!	0.2	!

Number of serious discipline problems⁸
No problems	3,140		5.3		5,720		0.2		23,560	39.4	180,050	5.6	90	!	0.2		90	!	#	1,990		3.3		6,530		0.2
1 problem	1,750		12.5		5,880		0.7		8,590	61.3	102,800	11.5	‡		‡		‡		‡	870		6.2		3,040	!	0.3	!
2 problems	630		15.1		4,400	!	1.5	!	2,840	67.8	38,860	12.9	‡		‡		‡		‡	170		4.1		1,050	!	0.3	!
3 or more problems	830		17.4		3,180		0.9		3,440	71.9	84,200	24.7	50	!	‡		‡		‡	640		13.3		3,720		1.1

Transfers as a percentage of enrollment⁹
Less than 6 percent	880		4.4		2,570		0.2	!	7,380	36.8	62,410	5.6	50	!	‡		50	!	#	620		3.1		2,440	!	0.2	!
6 to less than 11 percent	1,610		8.6		4,150		0.4		8,600	46.3	69,960	6.7	50	!	‡		‡		‡	1,160		6.2		3,650		0.4
11 to less than 21 percent	1,790		8.0		5,220		0.4		11,050	49.3	103,850	7.8	60	!	0.3	!	‡		‡	860		3.8		3,080		0.2
21 percent or more	2,080		9.6		7,240		0.6		11,390	52.5	169,680	13.8	‡		‡		‡		‡	1,040		4.8		5,160		0.4

Prevalence of schoolwide disruptions¹⁰
No disruptions	5,890		7.5		18,040		0.4		35,770	45.6	377,330	8.5	180		0.2	!	390	!	#	3,230		4.1		12,190		0.3
Any disruptions	460	!	10.8	!	1,140		0.4		2,650	62.1	28,570	9.6	‡		‡		‡		‡	440		10.4		2,140	!	0.7	!

Percent of students absent on a daily basis
0–2 percent	270	!	5.0	!	1,180	!	0.4	!	1,800	33.4	17,090	5.8	‡		‡		‡		‡	160	!	2.9	!	‡		‡
3–5 percent	2,770		5.7		7,600		0.3		20,990	43.4	208,510	7.9	90	!	0.2	!	‡		‡	1,570		3.2		5,860		0.2	!
6–10 percent	3,030		12.3		9,320		0.6		13,650	55.3	153,670	10.2	50	!	0.2	!	50	!	#	1,660		6.7		4,830		0.3
More than 10 percent	280	!	6.5	!	1,090	!	0.4	!	2,000	45.6	26,630	9.6	‡		‡		‡		‡	290		6.7		1,980	!	0.7
#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.
‡Reporting standards not met. The standard error represents more than 50 percent of the estimate.
¹Weapon was defined for respondents as "any instrument or object used with the intent to threaten, injure, or kill. This includes look-alikes if they are used to threaten others."
²Robbery was defined for respondents as "the taking or attempting to take anything of value that is owned by another person or organization, under confrontational circumstances by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear. A key difference between robbery and theft/larceny is that robbery involves a threat or battery."
³Primary 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.
⁴Respondents 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 level of crime," and "students come from areas with very different levels of crime."
⁵Student-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.
⁶Respondents were asked, "How many classroom changes do most students make in a typical day?" Responses exclude morning arrival and afternoon departure.
⁷Respondents were asked, "During the 2009–10 school year, did you have any security guards, security personnel, or sworn law enforcement officers present at your school at least once a week?"
⁸Serious 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.
⁹Transfers 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.
¹⁰Schoolwide disruptions include actions that disrupted school activities such as death threats, bomb threats, and chemical, biological, or radiological threats. Respondents were instructed to exclude all fire alarms, including false alarms.
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), 2009–10 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS).

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