Table 230.10.

Percentage of public schools reporting selected discipline problems that occurred at school, by frequency and selected school characteristics: Selected years, 1999-2000 through 2009-10

[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Year and school characteristic	Happens at least once a week1																				Happens at all2
	Student racial/ ethnic tensions3			Student bullying		Student sexual harassment of other students			Student harassment of other students based on sexual orientation or gender identity			Student verbal abuse of teachers			Widespread disorder in classrooms			Student acts of disrespect for teachers other than verbal abuse			Gang activities			Cult or extremist group activities
1	2			3		4			5			6			7			8			9			10
All schools
1999-2000	3.4		(0.41)	29.3	(1.21)	—		(†)	—		(†)	12.5		(0.69)	3.1		(0.44)	—		(†)	18.7		(0.85)	6.7		(0.46)
2003-04	2.1		(0.28)	26.8	(1.09)	4.0		(0.40)	—		(†)	10.7		(0.80)	2.8		(0.39)	—		(†)	16.7		(0.78)	3.4		(0.35)
2005-06	2.8		(0.31)	24.5	(1.14)	3.5		(0.40)	—		(†)	9.5		(0.61)	2.3		(0.24)	—		(†)	16.9		(0.76)	3.7		(0.41)
2007-08	3.7		(0.49)	25.3	(1.11)	3.0		(0.39)	—		(†)	6.0		(0.48)	4.0		(0.45)	10.5		(0.71)	19.8		(0.88)	2.6		(0.36)
2009-10
All schools	2.8		(0.39)	23.1	(1.12)	3.2		(0.55)	2.5		(0.41)	4.8		(0.49)	2.5		(0.37)	8.6		(0.67)	16.4		(0.84)	1.7		(0.31)
School level4
Primary	2.1		(0.62)	19.6	(1.75)	1.8	!	(0.70)	0.8	!	(0.35)	3.4		(0.67)	1.9	!	(0.60)	6.1		(0.92)	7.5		(1.11)	1.4	!	(0.48)
Middle	5.4		(0.81)	38.6	(1.60)	6.1		(0.89)	6.2		(0.92)	6.8		(0.83)	4.1		(0.67)	13.7		(1.15)	29.2		(1.48)	1.4		(0.36)
High school	3.3		(0.56)	19.8	(1.41)	3.2		(0.58)	3.1		(0.55)	8.6		(1.00)	4.4		(0.80)	14.3		(1.27)	38.4		(1.50)	3.9		(0.48)
Combined	‡		(†)	18.6	(4.38)	7.5	!	(2.92)	6.0	!	(2.74)	‡		(†)	#		(†)	4.4	!	(2.05)	11.1		(2.89)	‡		(†)
Enrollment size
Less than 300	‡		(†)	16.5	(2.48)	4.5	!	(1.38)	4.3	!	(1.33)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	3.3	!	(1.09)	6.5		(1.34)	‡		(†)
300–499	2.5		(0.72)	24.0	(2.19)	2.4	!	(0.75)	1.0		(0.28)	5.2		(1.03)	2.4		(0.70)	9.5		(1.57)	11.9		(1.49)	‡		(†)
500–999	3.0		(0.54)	25.3	(1.55)	2.6		(0.55)	2.4		(0.48)	4.3		(0.64)	2.6		(0.60)	8.3		(1.00)	16.4		(1.24)	1.3	!	(0.44)
1,000 or more	5.5		(1.10)	27.0	(2.12)	4.7		(1.01)	3.8		(0.82)	11.2		(1.37)	4.3		(0.96)	18.2		(1.64)	49.8		(1.72)	5.6		(0.95)
Locale
City	5.3		(1.14)	27.0	(2.08)	3.6	!	(1.16)	2.9	!	(1.06)	9.1		(1.38)	4.5		(0.85)	11.7		(1.46)	28.3		(2.10)	2.5		(0.72)
Suburban	2.7		(0.61)	19.9	(1.96)	2.6		(0.69)	2.0		(0.42)	4.7		(0.92)	3.0		(0.77)	8.1		(1.10)	14.6		(1.16)	1.2	!	(0.41)
Town	1.0	!	(0.36)	26.2	(2.71)	2.9	!	(0.99)	2.0		(0.56)	3.3	!	(1.24)	0.6	!	(0.26)	11.6		(2.16)	13.9		(1.56)	1.7	!	(0.75)
Rural	1.6	!	(0.63)	21.2	(2.11)	3.6		(1.01)	2.9		(0.69)	1.9	!	(0.58)	1.3	!	(0.62)	5.0		(0.93)	9.1		(1.13)	1.6	!	(0.70)
Percent combined enrollment of Black,      Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and      American Indian/Alaska Native students
Less than 5 percent	‡		(†)	22.0	(3.36)	4.5	!	(1.91)	2.7	!	(1.19)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	3.6	!	(1.18)	1.5		(0.39)	0.4	!	(0.19)
5 percent to less than 20 percent	1.5		(0.33)	21.3	(1.66)	1.8	!	(0.58)	1.9		(0.46)	1.8		(0.48)	0.5	!	(0.16)	6.1		(1.22)	5.8		(0.80)	1.8	!	(0.75)
20 percent to less than 50 percent	3.2		(0.96)	22.3	(1.70)	2.6		(0.45)	2.6		(0.47)	4.5		(1.08)	1.1	!	(0.48)	9.6		(1.12)	16.9		(1.40)	1.4		(0.23)
50 percent or more	4.3		(0.95)	25.2	(2.35)	4.1	!	(1.25)	2.9	!	(0.87)	8.5		(1.17)	5.7		(0.94)	11.7		(1.22)	29.1		(1.88)	2.4		(0.64)
Percent of students eligible for free or      reduced-price lunch
0–25	1.9		(0.40)	19.7	(1.99)	2.6		(0.74)	2.1		(0.55)	1.5		(0.28)	0.7	!	(0.21)	3.6		(0.60)	7.9		(0.91)	1.4		(0.39)
26–50	2.6	!	(0.85)	21.9	(1.58)	3.2		(0.80)	3.0		(0.67)	2.3		(0.52)	1.3	!	(0.43)	6.9		(0.91)	13.2		(1.33)	1.9	!	(0.68)
51–75	2.4	!	(0.83)	24.1	(2.24)	3.2	!	(0.98)	2.7	!	(0.86)	5.6		(0.95)	1.0	!	(0.37)	10.7		(1.42)	17.4		(1.46)	1.3	!	(0.57)
76–100	4.3		(1.16)	26.1	(3.07)	3.9	!	(1.47)	2.1	!	(0.87)	9.6		(1.64)	7.5		(1.38)	12.5		(1.49)	26.5		(2.19)	2.3	!	(0.87)
Student/teacher ratio5
Less than 12	1.6	!	(0.69)	19.6	(2.85)	4.2	!	(1.46)	3.6	!	(1.38)	4.3		(1.23)	2.5	!	(0.82)	7.0		(1.42)	12.3		(1.77)	‡		(†)
12–16	3.1		(0.81)	21.8	(1.73)	2.4		(0.66)	2.2		(0.52)	4.8		(0.73)	3.0		(0.74)	9.0		(1.27)	16.0		(1.54)	2.1	!	(0.70)
More than 16	2.9		(0.61)	25.3	(1.57)	3.6		(0.87)	2.5		(0.60)	4.9		(0.83)	2.1		(0.54)	8.8		(0.91)	18.1		(1.08)	2.0		(0.40)
Prevalence of violent incidents6
No violent incidents	‡		(†)	7.6	(1.53)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	‡		(†)	0.8	!	(0.39)	1.7	!	(0.67)	‡		(†)
Any violent incidents	3.5		(0.50)	28.5	(1.36)	4.1		(0.68)	3.2		(0.52)	6.4		(0.63)	3.0		(0.46)	11.4		(0.87)	21.6		(1.04)	2.1		(0.39)

—Not available.

†Not applicable.

#Rounds to zero.

!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 schools that reported the activity happens either at least once a week or daily.

2 Includes schools that reported the activity happens at all at their school during the school year. In the 1999–2000 survey administration, the questionnaire specified "undesirable" gang activities and "undesirable" cult or extremist group activities.

3 Prior to the 2007–08 survey administration, the questionnaire wording was "student racial tensions."

4 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.

5 Student/teacher ratio was calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled in the school by the total number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) teachers. Information regarding the total number of FTE teachers was obtained from the Common Core of Data (CCD), the sampling frame for SSOCS.

6 "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 or fight 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. "At school" was defined for respondents to include activities that happen in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at places that hold school-sponsored events or activities. Respondents were instructed to respond only for those times that were during normal school hours or when school activities or events were in session, unless the survey specified otherwise.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2007–08, and 2009–10 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. (This table was prepared September 2013.)