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Table 27.  Mean number of practices for monitoring students used per school, and the percentage of public middle schools that monitored students in specified ways, by selected school characteristics: School year 2005–06
      Percentage of schools that monitored students in specified ways
School characteristic  Mean number of practices for moni-
toring students used per school1
  Require students to pass through metal detectors each day   Perform one or more random metal detector checks on students   Use one or more random dog sniffs to check for drugs   Perform one or more random sweeps for contra-
band not including dog sniffs2
  Require drug testing for any other students3   Provide school lockers to students   Require clear book bags or ban book bags on school grounds   Require students to wear badges or picture IDs   Use one or more security cameras to monitor the school
All public schools  2   2   9   41   22   4   80   13   10   52
                                       
Enrollment size                                       
Less than 300  2       46   25   4 ! 83   9   5 ! 49
300–499  2     6 ! 42   23   7 ! 83   14   4 ! 54
500–999  2   2 ! 10   40   21   4   83   14   12   53
1,000 or more  2   2 ! 16   36   22   3 ! 65   12   18   54
                                       
Urbanicity                                       
City  2   8   19   30   28   2 ! 76   11   16   48
Urban fringe  2   #   6   35   16   5   79   13   11   53
Town  2   #   7 ! 50   19     85   18   8 ! 55
Rural  2   #   5   53   27   5   83   12   5   54
                                       
Crime level where students live4                                       
High  3   11 ! 32   21   36     69   17   21   57
Moderate  3     13   44   29   5 ! 71   15   19   55
Low  2     4   42   17   4   84   12   5   53
Mixed  2   #   12   43   27   3 ! 83   13   12   45
                                       
Percent minority enrollment5                                       
Less than 5 percent  2   #     41   24   6 ! 94   7   4 ! 50
5 to less than 20 percent  2   #     41   15   6   89   11   3 ! 54
20 to less than 50 percent  2     6   47   14   2 ! 80   13   11   48
50 percent or more  3   6   21   36   31   3 ! 63   18   20   54
                                       
Percent of students
eligible for free or
reduced-price lunch 
                                     
0–20 percent  2   #   1 ! 33   14   2 ! 90   8   5   51
21–50 percent  2     6   45   18   4   85   11   8   53
More than 50 percent  3   4 ! 16   42   31   5   70   17   15   53
                                       
Percent of students below 15th
percentile on standardized tests 
                                     
0–5 percent  2     6   38   19   4 ! 84   14   7   49
6–15 percent  2     7   46   24   4   81   12   9   52
More than 15 percent  2   4 ! 14   36   24   5   75   14   15   56
                                       
Percent of students likely
to attend college 
                                     
0–35 percent  2   3 ! 15   41   29   5 ! 72   16   12   52
36–60 percent  2     10   46   21   4   81   14   12   55
More than 60 percent  2   1 ! 4   37   18   4   85   10   7   51
                                       
Percent of students who consider
academic achievement important 
                                     
0–25 percent  3   7 ! 21   41   34     80   16   21   58
26–50 percent  2     10   47   23   5 ! 77   17   10   52
51–75 percent  2   1 ! 8   45   22   3 ! 80   11   10   56
More than 75 percent  2   1 ! 6   33   20   4 ! 83   11   7   48
                                       
Percent male enrollment                                       
0–44 percent  3     14 ! 34   33     79   12 ! 17 ! 56
45–55 percent  2   2   8   42   21   4   81   13   10   52
More than 55 percent  2     13 ! 39   31   7 ! 76   10 !   59
                                       
Student-to-FTE ratio6                                       
Less than 12 students  2   1 ! 8   40   21   5   87   13   10   53
12–16 students  2   3 ! 10   45   24   4   79   14   11   54
More than 16 students  2     10   30   21     61   10   8   45
                                       
Number of classroom changes7                                       
0–3 changes  2     11 !   26 !   54       35
4–6 changes  2   3 ! 11   39   23   3   76   11   11   51
More than 6 changes  2   1 ! 8   44   22   5   85   15   10   55
                                       
Regular use of law enforcement8                                       
Regular use  3   3   12   45   24   4   79   15   13   57
No regular use  2   #   3 ! 33   20   4   83   10   5   45
                                       
Number of serious
discipline problems9 
                                     
No problems  2   3 ! 9   40   24   5   82   15   8   53
1 problem  2     7   45   17   5   80   14   9   53
2 problems  2     9   43   27   3 ! 79   7 ! 14   52
3 or more problems  2     12   36   21     76   12   15   50
                                       
Transfers as a percentage
of enrollment10 
                                     
Less than 6 percent  2     5 ! 30   21   3 ! 85   9   7   50
6 to less than 11 percent  2     5   42   20   3 ! 80   16   6 ! 45
11 to less than 21 percent  2   2 ! 7   43   23   3 ! 81   11   9   56
21 percent or more  3   2 ! 16   46   23   6   76   16   16   55
                                       
Prevalence of schoolwide
disruptions11 
                                     
No disruptions  2   2   9   41   22   4   80   13   10   52
Any disruptions  3     12   41   29     85   16   15   53
                                       
Percent of students
absent on a daily basis 
2   #     29   18 !   83   8 ! 9 ! 43
0–2 percent  2   1 ! 7   45   20   4   81   13   8   55
3–5 percent  2   1 ! 9   38   25   4   80   15   12   50
6–10 percent  3   17 ! 30   25   35     70   9 ! 27   55
More than 10 percent                                       
                                       
Prevalence of violent incidents12                                       
No violent incidents  2     7 ! 33   20 !   82   10 !   43
Any violent incidents  2   2   9   41   22   4   80   13   11   53
# 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 for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate's value.
1 Data represents the mean number of "yes" responses to the practices listed.
2 Examples of contraband provided to respondents were drugs or weapons.
3 "Any other students" refers to students who do not participate in school athletics or other extracurricular activities.
4 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 level of crime," and "students come from areas with very different levels of crime."
5 Responding schools that did not have race/ethnicity on the sampling frame (2 percent of schools) are excluded from the base.
6 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.
7 Respondents were asked, "How many classroom changes do most students make in a typical day?" Responses exclude morning arrival and afternoon departure.
8 Respondents were asked, "During the 2005–2006 school year, did you have any sworn law enforcement officers, security guards, or security personnel present at your school at least once a week?"
9 Serious discipline problems include student racial tensions, student bullying, student sexual harassment of other students, student verbal abuse of teachers, widespread disorder in classrooms, student acts of disrespect for teachers, 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.
10 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.
11 Schoolwide 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.
12 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: Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about crime and safety issues at the school. Detail may not sum to totals, because schools may have reported using more than one of these practices. 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.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2005–06 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2006.