Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 233.60. Percentage of public schools with various safety and security measures, by selected school characteristics: 2015-16
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
School characteristic Total schools Percent of schools with safety and security measures
Controlled access Student dress, IDs, and school supplies Metal detectors, dogs, and sweeps Used security cameras to monitor the school
Number Percentage distribution School buildings1 School grounds2 School uniforms required Strict dress code enforced Student badges or picture IDs required Faculty/staff badges or picture IDs required Book bags must be clear or are banned Random metal detector checks Daily metal detector checks3 Random dog sniffs for drugs Random sweeps for contraband4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Total 83,600 (210) 100.0 (†) 94.1 (0.64) 49.9 (1.53) 21.5   (1.36) 53.1   (1.22) 7.0   (0.53) 67.9   (1.36) 3.9   (0.44) 4.5   (0.48) 1.8   (0.32) 24.6   (0.85) 11.9   (0.78) 80.6   (0.96)
                                                                             
School level5                                                                            
Primary 49,100 (180) 58.7 (0.14) 95.6 (0.87) 55.4 (2.23) 25.4   (2.07) 46.5   (2.03) 2.9   (0.75) 73.2   (2.05) 2.0 ! (0.61) 2.0 ! (0.65)   (†) 5.9   (0.99) 3.1 ! (0.97) 73.2   (1.43)
Middle 15,600 (30) 18.7 (0.06) 94.4 (0.87) 45.3 (2.12) 19.5   (1.55) 70.0   (1.84) 13.0   (1.09) 68.4   (1.87) 8.2   (1.09) 7.1   (1.06) 2.7   (0.74) 41.5   (1.95) 16.3   (1.12) 88.6   (1.30)
High school 12,800 (50) 15.3 (0.06) 89.6 (1.21) 45.3 (1.87) 12.0   (1.27) 55.0   (1.42) 16.2   (1.28) 60.6   (2.22) 6.5   (1.04) 10.6   (1.10) 5.9   (1.11) 62.3   (2.07) 32.6   (1.92) 94.2   (1.28)
Combined 6,200 (120) 7.4 (0.13) 90.2 (4.10) 26.7 (4.72) 14.7   (3.60) 59.1   (5.82) 4.9 ! (2.26) 38.9   (5.50)   (†) 4.7 ! (2.15)   (†) 51.9   (6.43) 28.1   (4.87) 91.3   (3.78)
                                                                             
Enrollment size                                                                            
Less than 300 18,200 (190) 21.7 (0.18) 89.9 (2.24) 38.6 (3.71) 15.9   (2.51) 46.6   (3.28) 3.3 ! (1.32) 45.9   (3.95) 2.8   (0.82) 2.0 ! (0.72) 2.0 ! (0.69) 21.9   (2.22) 12.9   (2.16) 73.8   (3.06)
300 to 499 25,000 (110) 29.9 (0.12) 95.5 (1.10) 48.0 (2.97) 22.8   (2.34) 49.3   (2.64) 3.5   (0.85) 70.5   (2.74) 4.3   (1.06) 2.9 ! (0.98) 1.5 ! (0.71) 18.9   (1.53) 8.9   (1.66) 81.2   (2.32)
500 to 999 31,700 (90) 38.0 (0.12) 96.0 (0.66) 55.9 (2.49) 25.0   (2.15) 58.3   (2.20) 8.1   (1.10) 76.2   (1.57) 3.4   (0.53) 4.7   (0.72) 1.6 ! (0.50) 22.7   (1.09) 10.5   (1.05) 81.3   (1.64)
1,000 or more 8,700 (10) 10.4 (0.03) 91.8 (0.95) 57.1 (2.40) 16.5   (1.71) 58.4   (2.18) 20.4   (1.64) 75.9   (2.14) 6.8   (1.25) 13.3   (1.32) 3.3   (0.63) 53.4   (2.13) 23.3   (1.93) 90.9   (1.34)
                                                                             
Locale                                                                            
City 22,800 (110) 27.2 (0.11) 95.7 (0.94) 60.2 (2.71) 41.6   (3.40) 61.4   (3.32) 11.7   (1.52) 64.5   (3.31) 4.7   (0.87) 8.8   (1.36) 5.6   (1.13) 14.9   (1.34) 10.8   (1.48) 80.7   (2.25)
Suburban 27,400 (90) 32.7 (0.11) 95.5 (0.97) 51.7 (2.32) 18.1   (1.90) 46.0   (2.36) 7.3   (0.75) 81.0   (1.74) 2.5   (0.56) 3.8   (0.67) 0.4 ! (0.15) 19.5   (1.23) 8.2   (0.81) 78.0   (1.92)
Town 11,000 (80) 13.1 (0.09) 92.8 (1.94) 46.0 (4.35) 16.0   (3.26) 52.4   (4.20) 4.6   (1.19) 65.8   (3.89) 5.7 ! (1.84) 3.1 ! (1.07)   (†) 31.4   (1.74) 14.9   (1.47) 81.0   (3.05)
Rural 22,500 (150) 26.9 (0.15) 91.4 (1.85) 39.1 (3.33) 7.9   (1.71) 53.7   (2.68) 2.9 ! (0.92) 56.3   (2.60) 3.9   (0.92) 1.5   (0.44) 0.6 ! (0.23) 37.1   (2.74) 16.0   (2.01) 83.6   (2.10)
                                                                             
Percent combined enrollment
      of Black, Hispanic,
      Asian, Pacific Islander,
      and American Indian/
      Alaska Native students,
      and students of Two or
      more races
                                                                           
Less than 5 percent 5,300 (550) 6.3 (0.65) 97.3 (2.70) 35.0 (6.56)   (†) 50.6   (6.21)   (†) 53.2   (5.76)   (†)   (†)   (†) 37.0   (6.28) 22.6   (5.38) 82.5   (6.01)
5 percent to less than
      20 percent
21,300 (900) 25.5 (1.09) 93.2 (1.49) 34.5 (2.94) 3.4   (1.00) 40.2   (2.85) 4.1   (1.07) 71.5   (2.63) 2.9   (0.67) 1.1 ! (0.50)   (†) 32.6   (2.69) 11.4   (1.57) 82.7   (2.17)
20 percent to less than
      50 percent
21,900 (800) 26.2 (0.94) 93.3 (1.30) 45.4 (3.11) 7.9   (1.35) 44.2   (2.87) 4.7   (0.62) 73.8   (2.19) 2.7   (0.56) 2.7   (0.71)   (†) 23.6   (1.95) 9.4   (1.26) 84.0   (2.10)
50 percent or more 35,100 (1,110) 42.0 (1.32) 94.7 (0.88) 64.3 (2.09) 43.6   (2.48) 66.8   (2.08) 11.1   (1.14) 64.2   (2.55) 5.3   (0.77) 8.3   (0.99) 4.1   (0.71) 18.4   (1.34) 12.1   (1.17) 76.9   (1.81)
                                                                             
Percent of students
      eligible for free or
      reduced-price lunch
                                                                           
0 to 25 percent 13,900 (920) 16.6 (1.10) 94.3 (1.69) 43.6 (2.95) 8.4   (2.14) 36.5   (3.45) 7.2   (1.41) 77.9   (3.12) 2.0 ! (0.77) 1.1 ! (0.56)   (†) 18.1   (1.93) 5.5   (0.88) 78.2   (3.35)
26 to 50 percent 23,400 (1,070) 28.0 (1.28) 93.5 (1.14) 40.6 (3.00) 6.2   (1.32) 42.8   (2.87) 4.0   (0.54) 69.8   (2.57) 2.5   (0.52) 1.6 ! (0.47)   (†) 30.3   (1.91) 12.0   (1.38) 83.0   (1.97)
51 to 75 percent 23,000 (1,100) 27.6 (1.30) 92.9 (1.66) 50.8 (3.17) 17.8   (2.31) 57.6   (2.35) 8.5   (1.12) 65.8   (3.02) 3.2   (0.70) 3.8   (0.54) 1.0 ! (0.38) 30.3   (2.23) 14.1   (1.63) 83.3   (2.52)
76 to 100 percent 23,300 (1,120) 27.9 (1.34) 95.7 (0.89) 62.0 (2.67) 48.3   (3.05) 68.7   (2.91) 8.2   (1.23) 61.9   (3.29) 7.1   (1.13) 10.0   (1.46) 5.4   (1.04) 16.9   (1.60) 13.4   (1.52) 77.1   (2.49)
†Not applicable.
!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 Access to buildings is controlled during school hours (e.g., by locked or monitored doors).
2 Access to grounds is controlled during school hours (e.g., by locked or monitored gates).
3 All students must pass through a metal detector each day.
4 Examples of contraband include drugs and weapons. The "sweeps" category does not include dog sniffs.
5 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.
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 of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015-16 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2016. (This table was prepared September 2017.)

2017 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest