Table 233.12.

Percentage of public schools that took a serious disciplinary action in response to specific offenses, by type of offense and selected school characteristics: 2015-16

[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
School characteristic	Total, at least one action1		Type of offense
			Physical attacks or fights		Distribution, possession, or use of alcohol		Distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs		Use or possession of a firearm or explosive device			Use or possession of a weapon other than a firearm or explosive device
1	2		3		4		5		6			7
Total	37.2	(1.06)	26.9	(1.06)	8.1	(0.40)	18.6	(0.59)	2.0		(0.29)	10.4		(0.61)
School level2
Primary	17.5	(1.81)	13.1	(1.79)	‡	(†)	2.2	(0.66)	0.8	!	(0.39)	3.8		(0.71)
Middle	60.9	(1.43)	43.9	(1.57)	10.4	(1.06)	30.9	(1.46)	2.6		(0.65)	19.3		(1.31)
High school	77.6	(1.80)	56.6	(1.92)	31.8	(1.32)	61.8	(1.84)	6.0		(1.06)	22.5		(1.52)
Combined	50.3	(5.06)	32.4	(4.66)	14.9	(3.70)	28.5	(4.52)	‡		(†)	14.6		(3.39)
Enrollment size
Less than 300	25.1	(2.80)	16.9	(2.28)	2.9	(0.82)	8.4	(1.98)	‡		(†)	2.8	!	(0.87)
300 to 499	25.7	(1.89)	17.2	(1.79)	4.2	(0.75)	11.6	(1.01)	1.4	!	(0.50)	5.9		(1.19)
500 to 999	41.8	(1.96)	31.0	(1.74)	7.5	(0.75)	18.2	(0.98)	1.6		(0.45)	11.9		(1.00)
1,000 or more	79.0	(1.97)	60.7	(1.93)	31.8	(2.00)	61.9	(2.03)	6.4		(1.37)	33.3		(2.54)
Locale
City	40.0	(2.69)	30.7	(2.48)	6.1	(0.61)	19.2	(1.48)	2.1		(0.59)	11.0		(1.33)
Suburban	35.7	(1.93)	26.0	(1.82)	7.7	(0.67)	18.2	(0.87)	2.1		(0.58)	12.4		(1.36)
Town	50.0	(3.58)	33.0	(3.08)	10.1	(1.35)	26.5	(2.48)	2.7	!	(1.19)	11.5		(2.76)
Rural	30.0	(1.96)	21.1	(1.62)	9.4	(1.01)	14.6	(1.03)	1.6	!	(0.53)	6.6		(0.90)
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	30.7	(5.08)	15.7	(3.02)	10.3	(2.78)	16.9	(3.60)	‡		(†)	8.9	!	(2.77)
5 percent to less than 20 percent	31.9	(2.55)	22.3	(2.08)	8.9	(1.05)	17.0	(1.48)	1.5	!	(0.65)	7.5		(1.01)
20 percent to less than 50 percent	36.5	(2.49)	26.1	(2.00)	8.3	(0.74)	19.2	(2.05)	1.8	!	(0.60)	9.5		(1.26)
50 percent or more	41.9	(2.01)	31.8	(1.80)	7.1	(0.76)	19.4	(1.10)	2.4		(0.52)	12.8		(1.29)
Percent of students eligible for       free or reduced-price lunch
0 to 25 percent	24.6	(2.20)	17.2	(2.05)	8.6	(1.09)	14.3	(1.44)	0.5	!	(0.25)	6.2		(0.84)
26 to 50 percent	34.4	(1.82)	22.7	(1.41)	8.6	(0.74)	20.0	(1.40)	0.8	!	(0.26)	9.2		(1.05)
51 to 75 percent	41.3	(2.39)	31.1	(2.22)	9.2	(1.11)	19.1	(1.34)	3.7		(0.91)	12.3		(1.32)
76 to 100 percent	43.5	(2.54)	32.7	(2.48)	6.1	(0.95)	19.4	(1.73)	2.6		(0.67)	12.1		(1.61)
Student/teacher ratio3
Less than 12	31.6	(3.19)	21.4	(3.01)	6.9	(1.63)	7.0	(1.42)	2.8	!	(1.22)	9.3		(2.03)
12 to 16	38.6	(2.02)	27.1	(1.75)	7.9	(0.81)	21.4	(1.62)	1.3	!	(0.48)	9.7		(1.08)
More than 16	37.7	(1.85)	28.2	(1.79)	8.5	(0.55)	19.8	(1.04)	2.3		(0.41)	11.0		(0.96)

†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 Schools that took serious disciplinary actions in response to more than one type of offense were counted only once in the total.

2 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.

3 Student/teacher ratio was calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled in the school, as reported on the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 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.

NOTE: Serious disciplinary actions include out-of-school suspensions lasting 5 or more days, but less than the remainder of the school year; removals with no continuing services for at least the remainder of the school year; and transfers to specialized schools for disciplinary reasons. Percentages of schools taking such actions are based on all public schools, rather than only those at which offenses occurred. 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, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015-16 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2016. (This table was prepared September 2017.)