Fast Facts: School crime (49)

School crime

Question:
Do you have any statistics on school crime?

Response:

The Crime and Safety Surveys Program collects and reports data on crime, violence, and safety in U.S. elementary and secondary schools. The following statistics are from the School Crime and Safety topic area in the Condition of Education system of indicators. These indicators focus on topics such as school shootings; student and teacher victimization; fights, weapons, and illegal substances; and discipline, safety and security practices.

School-Associated Violent Deaths

From July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, a total of 39 school-associated violent deaths¹ occurred in the United States, including students, staff, and other nonstudent school-associated victims. Of these 39 school-associated violent deaths, 10 homicides and 3 suicides were of school-age youth (ages 5–18, also referred to as “youth” in this Fast Fact).² Considering all persons, there were 29 homicides and 10 suicides. Between 1992–93 (when data collection began) and 2018–19, the number of school-associated violent deaths of all persons fluctuated, ranging from 32 to 63.

Nonfatal Student Victimization—Student Reports

From 2009 to 2020, the total victimization rate decreased for students ages 12–18, both at school and away from school.³ The total victimization rate at school decreased from 51 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2009 to 30 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2019. From 2019 to 2020, the total victimization rate at school continued to decrease to 11 victimizations per 1,000 students—a decrease of more than 60 percent.⁴ The total victimization rate away from school decreased from 33 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2009 to 20 victimizations per 1,000 students in 2019. The total victimization rate away from school in 2020 (15 victimizations per 1,000 students) was not statistically different from the rate in 2019.

Violence and Crime at School—School Reports

During the 2019–20 school year,⁵ 77 percent of public schools recorded that one or more incidents of crime had taken place, amounting to 1.4 million incidents. This translates to a rate of 29 incidents per 1,000 students enrolled in 2019–20. Not all recorded incidents of crime were reported to sworn law enforcement. In 2019–20, some 47 percent of schools reported one or more incidents of crime to sworn law enforcement, amounting to 482,400 incidents, or 10 incidents per 1,000 students enrolled.

In 2019–20, across all types of incidents, the percentage of public schools that recorded one or more incidents was higher than the percentage that reported one or more incidents to sworn law enforcement. For example, 70 percent of public schools recorded one or more violent incidents,⁶ whereas 32 percent reported one or more incidents to sworn law enforcement. The same was true for serious violent incidents⁷ (25 vs. 14 percent), thefts⁸ (32 vs. 15 percent), and other incidents⁹ (57 vs. 36 percent). In terms of rates, public schools recorded 19 violent incidents per 1,000 students and reported 5 violent incidents per 1,000 students to sworn law enforcement. There were 2 thefts per 1,000 students recorded, compared with 1 theft per 1,000 students reported. There were 8 other incidents per 1,000 students recorded, compared with 4 other incidents per 1,000 students reported.

Percentage of public schools recording one or more incidents of crime at school and rate of incidents per 1,000 students, by type of incident and whether the incident was reported to sworn law enforcement: School year 2019–20

The data in this figure are described in the surrounding text.

¹ “Violent incidents” include “serious violent” incidents (see footnote 2) as well as physical attacks or fights without a weapon and threat of physical attacks without a weapon.
² “Serious violent” incidents include rape or attempted rape, sexual assault other than rape, physical attacks or fights with a weapon, threat of physical attacks with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon.
³ Theft or larceny is taking things worth over $10 without personal confrontation.
⁴ “Other incidents” include possession of a firearm or explosive device; possession of a knife or sharp object; distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs or alcohol; inappropriate distribution, possession, or use of prescription drugs; and vandalism.

NOTE: The coronavirus pandemic affected the 2019–20 data collection activities. The change to virtual schooling and the adjusted school year may have impacted the data collected by the School Survey on Crime and Safety. Readers should use caution when interpreting 2019–20 estimates. For more information, see Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools in 2019–20: Findings From the School Survey on Crime and Safety (NCES 2022-029). Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about crime and safety issues at the school. “At school” was defined as including 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 include incidents that occurred before, during, and after normal school hours or when school activities or events were in session. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding and because schools that recorded or reported more than one type of crime incident were counted only once in the total percentage of schools recording or reporting incidents.

Perceptions of Personal Safety at School and Away From School—Student Reports

In 2019, about 5 percent of students ages 12–18 reported that they had been afraid of attack or harm at school¹⁰ during the school year, which is higher than the percentage of students (3 percent) who reported that they had been afraid of attack or harm away from school during the school year.

Illegal Drug Availability on School Property—Student Reports

In 2019, about 22 percent of students in grades 9–12 reported using marijuana at least 1 time during the previous 30 days (ranging from 10 percent in Utah to 29 percent in the District of Columbia).^11,12 This included about 8 percent of students who reported using marijuana 1 or 2 times during the previous 30 days, 10 percent who reported using marijuana 3 to 39 times during the previous 30 days, and 4 percent who reported using marijuana 40 or more times during the previous 30 days.

In 2019, about 22 percent of students in grades 9–12 reported that illegal drugs were made available to them on school property (ranging from 13 percent in Colorado to 31 percent in California).¹³ There was no measurable difference between 2009 and 2019 in the percentage of students who reported that illegal drugs were made available to them on school property.

¹ A school-associated violent death is defined as "a homicide, suicide, or legal intervention death (involving a law enforcement officer), in which the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary or secondary school in the United States." School-associated violent deaths also include those that occurred while the victim was on the way to or from regular sessions at school or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official school-sponsored event. Victims of school-associated violent deaths may include not only students and staff members but also others at school, such as students’ parents and community members. In this Fast Fact, the term “at school” is comparable in meaning to the term “school-associated.”
² Data are subject to change until interviews with school and law enforcement officials have been completed. The details learned during the interviews can occasionally change the classification of a case.
³ Every 10 years, the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) sample is redesigned to reflect changes in the population. Due to the sample redesign and other methodological changes implemented in 2006, use caution when comparing 2006 estimates with other years. Due to a sample increase and redesign in 2016, victimization estimates among students ages 12–18 in 2016 were not comparable to estimates for other years.
⁴ In 2020, schools across the country suspended or modified in-person classes in accordance with federal, state, and local guidance related to the risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Students may have spent less time at school than in previous years due to these modified procedures.
⁵ The coronavirus pandemic affected the 2019–20 data collection activities. The change to virtual schooling and the adjusted school year may have impacted the data collected by the School Survey on Crime and Safety. Readers should use caution when interpreting 2019–20 estimates and when making comparisons to those from earlier years. For more information, see Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools in 2019–20: Findings From the School Survey on Crime and Safety (NCES 2022-029).
⁶ “Violent incidents” include serious violent incidents (see footnote 7) as well as physical attacks or fights without a weapon and threat of physical attacks without a weapon.
⁷ “Serious violent incidents” include rape or attempted rape, sexual assault other than rape, physical attacks or fights with a weapon, threat of physical attacks with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon.
⁸ Theft or larceny is taking things worth over $10 without personal confrontation.
⁹ “Other incidents” include possession of a firearm or explosive device; possession of a knife or sharp object; distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs or alcohol; inappropriate distribution, possession, or use of prescription drugs; and vandalism.
¹⁰ “At school” includes in the school building, on school property, on a school bus, and going to and from school.
¹¹ U.S. total data are representative of all public and private school students in grades 9–12 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. U.S. total data were collected through a separate national survey rather than being aggregated from state-level data. All discussions in this indicator, except those at the state level, were based on data from the national survey.
¹² In 2019, state-level data on students’ marijuana use were available for 44 states and the District of Columbia. For detailed state-level data on the percentage of students in grades 9–12 who reported using marijuana at least 1 time during the previous 30 days, see the table on current marijuana use for all locations in the YRBSS Youth Online Data Analysis Tool.
¹³ In 2019, state-level data on illegal drug availabilities were available for 36 states. For detailed state-level data on the percentage of students in grades 9–12 who reported being offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property during the 12 months preceding the survey, see the table on current marijuana use for all locations in the YRBSS Youth Online Data Analysis Tool.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Violent Deaths at School and Away From School and School Shootings, Incidence of Victimization at School and Away From School, Criminal Incidents Recorded by Public Schools and Those Reported to Sworn Law Enforcement, Students’ Perceptions of Personal Safety at School and Away From School, and Marijuana Use and Illegal Drug Availability. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2021092, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a01?tid=200, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a02, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a06, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a16, and https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a15.

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