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Digest of Education Statistics
2019 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 229.30. Percentage of public schools recording incidents of crime at school, number of incidents, and rate per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected school characteristics: 2017-18
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
School characteristic Total number of schools Violent incidents Theft/larceny3 Other incidents4
All violent1 Serious violent2
Percent of schools
recording
Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 students Percent of schools
recording
Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 students Percent of schools
recording
Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 students Percent of schools
recording
Number of incidents Rate per 1,000 students
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Total 82,300   (350) 70.7   (1.38) 962,300   (45,850) 19.6   (0.98) 21.3   (0.98) 54,400   (7,770) 1.1   (0.16) 33.4   (1.31) 132,500   (6,130) 2.7   (0.13) 59.8   (1.18) 343,700   (9,270) 7.0   (0.20)
School level5                                                                              
Primary 48,300   (290) 59.1   (2.17) 441,700   (38,950) 18.3   (1.67) 13.9   (1.55) 21,200   (5,660) 0.9   (0.24) 19.5   (1.73) 29,500   (4,100) 1.2   (0.17) 46.3   (2.10) 72,000   (5,870) 3.0   (0.24)
Middle 15,100   (60) 89.8   (1.02) 287,800   (11,470) 29.6   (1.07) 32.5   (1.52) 16,700   (2,410) 1.7   (0.25) 52.0   (1.83) 41,200   (2,850) 4.2   (0.29) 78.2   (1.77) 83,800   (2,830) 8.6   (0.28)
High school 12,600   (40) 90.4   (1.12) 205,200   (8,830) 16.0   (0.69) 35.5   (1.69) 14,300   (1,090) 1.1   (0.09) 63.3   (1.27) 55,000   (2,560) 4.3   (0.19) 87.1   (1.24) 170,400   (6,860) 13.3   (0.52)
Combined 6,300   (180) 74.4   (4.95) 27,600   (3,690) 11.1   (1.40) 22.9   (5.23) 2,200   (550) 0.9   (0.22) 36.0   (4.99) 6,800   (1,220) 2.7   (0.48) 64.3   (5.35) 17,400   (2,310) 7.0   (0.92)
                                                                               
Enrollment size                                                                              
Less than 300 16,800   (310) 53.1   (3.36) 74,000   (9,980) 20.3   (2.83) 13.7   (2.38) 4,500   (1,060) 1.2   (0.29) 19.9   (3.61) 9,500   (2,360) 2.6   (0.63) 44.3   (3.43) 27,000   (4,340) 7.4   (1.20)
300 to 499 24,900   (120) 69.2   (2.44) 242,400   (31,230) 22.7   (2.97) 17.9   (1.46) 15,800 ! (5,100) 1.5 ! (0.48) 27.7   (1.96) 24,700   (3,190) 2.3   (0.30) 55.2   (2.00) 58,900   (4,470) 5.5   (0.41)
500 to 999 31,700   (70) 75.0   (1.86) 430,300   (28,770) 19.9   (1.32) 22.0   (1.60) 18,200   (2,090) 0.8   (0.10) 35.3   (2.06) 45,400   (3,600) 2.1   (0.16) 63.2   (1.70) 110,000   (4,250) 5.1   (0.19)
1,000 or more 8,900   (20) 92.7   (1.43) 215,600   (10,170) 16.3   (0.80) 42.8   (2.04) 15,900   (2,610) 1.2   (0.20) 68.9   (1.64) 52,900   (3,230) 4.0   (0.24) 90.4   (1.61) 147,800   (6,570) 11.2   (0.49)
                                                                               
Locale                                                                              
City 22,500   (170) 75.0   (2.22) 377,600   (32,520) 26.2   (2.26) 23.1   (1.79) 14,300   (1,280) 1.0   (0.09) 35.6   (2.58) 44,500   (3,960) 3.1   (0.26) 63.9   (2.38) 113,000   (6,770) 7.9   (0.47)
Suburban 27,300   (150) 67.7   (2.24) 299,800   (18,780) 14.9   (0.98) 21.5   (1.52) 20,000   (3,830) 1.0   (0.19) 31.5   (1.74) 45,700   (3,390) 2.3   (0.17) 54.4   (2.15) 117,900   (4,790) 5.9   (0.25)
Town 10,500   (150) 72.0   (2.95) 118,400   (12,100) 21.1   (2.18) 20.4   (2.18) 5,800   (740) 1.0   (0.13) 43.8   (2.99) 18,200   (1,570) 3.2   (0.27) 65.0   (2.77) 47,100   (2,770) 8.4   (0.48)
Rural 22,000   (210) 69.3   (2.79) 166,500   (23,340) 18.3   (2.55) 19.5   (2.00) 14,300 ! (4,730) 1.6 ! (0.52) 28.7   (2.54) 24,100   (2,340) 2.6   (0.25) 59.8   (2.93) 65,700   (3,940) 7.2   (0.41)
                                                                               
Percent minority enrollment6                                                                              
0 to 25 percent 29,800   (930) 66.8   (2.47) 193,000   (13,430) 12.6   (0.84) 19.3   (1.44) 15,200   (1,800) 1.0   (0.12) 32.2   (2.10) 36,700   (2,740) 2.4   (0.18) 59.2   (2.42) 102,200   (5,980) 6.7   (0.36)
26 to 50 percent 18,000   (870) 69.5   (2.30) 203,200   (26,580) 18.3   (2.24) 20.9   (2.16) 13,200 ! (4,780) 1.2 ! (0.43) 32.4   (2.17) 29,300   (2,950) 2.6   (0.24) 60.3   (2.58) 75,400   (5,070) 6.8   (0.37)
51 to 75 percent 12,500   (850) 75.1   (3.90) 210,100   (24,470) 24.7   (2.78) 21.9   (2.68) 7,800   (1,240) 0.9   (0.14) 40.2   (3.61) 28,200   (2,720) 3.3   (0.34) 64.8   (3.88) 63,100   (5,400) 7.4   (0.68)
76 to 100 percent 22,000   (800) 74.4   (1.93) 356,000   (32,450) 25.1   (2.16) 24.0   (1.87) 18,200   (2,870) 1.3   (0.20) 32.2   (2.34) 38,200   (3,820) 2.7   (0.26) 57.3   (2.06) 103,000   (6,620) 7.3   (0.46)
                                                                               
Percent of students eligible for
     free or reduced-price lunch
                                                                             
0 to 25 percent 15,000   (610) 57.6   (3.14) 72,400   (4,810) 7.0   (0.46) 17.5   (2.20) 6,100   (820) 0.6   (0.08) 27.3   (2.04) 18,900   (1,610) 1.8   (0.15) 48.6   (2.91) 49,400   (3,240) 4.8   (0.30)
26 to 50 percent 19,600   (870) 71.5   (2.74) 180,700   (16,090) 15.2   (1.20) 21.8   (1.50) 11,600   (1,710) 1.0   (0.14) 38.0   (1.95) 35,100   (3,040) 2.9   (0.23) 60.9   (2.74) 85,200   (5,750) 7.2   (0.40)
51 to 75 percent 20,600   (950) 74.7   (3.07) 256,500   (21,600) 22.0   (1.76) 20.2   (1.93) 10,400   (1,360) 0.9   (0.10) 38.1   (2.63) 35,400   (3,100) 3.0   (0.24) 67.2   (2.85) 92,500   (6,350) 7.9   (0.44)
76 to 100 percent 27,100   (880) 74.3   (2.11) 452,700   (41,400) 29.6   (2.79) 23.9   (1.86) 26,300   (7,130) 1.7   (0.47) 30.0   (2.30) 43,100   (4,750) 2.8   (0.32) 59.6   (2.23) 116,500   (8,580) 7.6   (0.56)
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
1 "All violent" incidents include "serious violent" incidents (see footnote 2) as well as physical attack or fight without a weapon and threat of physical attack without a weapon.
2 "Serious violent" incidents include rape, sexual assault other than rape, physical attack or fight with a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon.
3 Theft/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.
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. Combined schools include all other combinations of grades, including K-12 schools.
6 Percent combined enrollment of Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students, and students of Two or more races.
NOTE: Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about crime and safety issues at the school. "At school" was defined 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 include incidents that occurred before, during, or after normal school hours or when school activities or events were in session. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2017-18 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2018. (This table was prepared August 2019.)

2019 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest