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Digest of Education Statistics
2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 233.65. Percentage of public schools with a written plan for procedures to be performed in selected scenarios and percentage that have drilled students on the use of selected emergency procedures, by selected school characteristics: Selected years, 2003–04 through 2019–20
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Year and school characteristic Percent with a written plan that describes procedures to be performed in selected scenarios Percent that have drilled students during the current school year on the use of selected emergency procedures
Active shooter Natural disasters1 Hostages Bomb threats or incidents Chemical, biological, or radiological threats or incidents2 Suicide threat or incident Pandemic flu Pandemic disease Post-crisis reunification of students with their families Evacuation3 Lockdown4 Shelter-in-place5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
2003–04 78.5 6 (1.17) 96.0   (0.52) 73.5   (1.12) 94.0   (0.71) 69.2   (1.15) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†)
2005–06 79.3 6 (1.31) 95.0   (0.65) 73.1   (1.12) 94.5   (0.65) 70.5   (1.04) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†)
2007–08 83.0 6 (1.31) 95.8   (0.48) 71.3   (1.26) 93.8   (0.65) 71.5   (1.16) 74.1   (1.33) 36.1   (1.10) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†)
2009–10 84.3 6 (1.10) 95.1   (0.54) 74.3   (1.20) 93.5   (0.66) 71.1   (1.28) 74.9   (1.30) 69.4   (1.34) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†)
2015–16 92.4   (0.78) 96.1   (0.57) 60.5   (1.30) 94.1   (0.87) 73.1   (1.26) 84.6   (1.11) 51.0   (1.49) ---   (†) 86.3   (1.09) 91.5   (1.02) 94.6   (0.78) 75.9   (1.12)
2017–18 92.4   (0.73) 94.0   (0.57) 48.0   (1.38) 91.3   (0.72) 69.7   (1.44) 85.4   (1.06) ---   (†) 45.7   (1.34) 85.0   (0.89) 92.8   (0.71) 95.7   (0.53) 82.6   (1.14)

2019–207 
                                                                       
All public schools 96.2   (0.57) 96.3   (0.50) 52.7   (1.28) 93.3   (0.71) 73.8   (1.05) 91.0   (0.93) ---   (†) 52.0   (1.35) 89.3   (0.84) 94.2   (0.68) 97.7   (0.47) 91.5   (0.82)
School level8                                                                        
Elementary 96.0   (0.85) 96.3   (0.72) 51.8   (2.11) 92.9   (1.11) 72.8   (1.69) 89.2   (1.45) ---   (†) 52.9   (2.40) 89.6   (1.29) 93.8   (1.12) 98.1   (0.66) 90.7   (1.25)
Middle 97.3   (0.63) 96.7   (0.62) 56.4   (1.59) 94.4   (0.79) 76.8   (1.68) 94.7   (0.81) ---   (†) 50.7   (1.82) 91.3   (1.02) 95.9   (0.73) 98.1   (0.60) 93.9   (0.89)
Secondary/high 96.3   (0.89) 95.5   (0.93) 52.3   (1.83) 95.2   (0.82) 75.4   (1.61) 93.9   (0.86) ---   (†) 51.9   (2.30) 88.3   (1.17) 94.0   (1.01) 97.6   (0.66) 93.3   (0.94)
Combined/other 92.9   (2.92) 98.1   (1.59) 51.3   (5.14) 85.8   (4.32) 67.5   (5.71) 88.1   (4.05) ---   (†) 45.6   (5.38) 81.1   (4.80) 93.7   (2.63) 91.2   (3.52) 84.7   (4.68)

Enrollment size
                                                                       
Less than 300 91.9   (1.90) 93.4   (1.77) 49.5   (3.59) 89.3   (2.27) 66.5   (3.73) 86.2   (2.51) ---   (†) 43.0   (3.52) 82.0   (2.69) 94.7   (1.75) 94.5   (1.74) 85.0   (2.72)
300 to 499 97.1   (0.82) 97.7   (0.75) 50.9   (2.90) 93.7   (1.28) 72.6   (2.62) 89.6   (1.81) ---   (†) 56.5   (2.68) 88.6   (1.44) 93.9   (1.39) 97.9   (0.71) 93.9   (1.14)
500 to 999 97.3   (0.73) 96.9   (0.79) 56.7   (2.11) 95.0   (0.84) 78.9   (1.51) 93.7   (1.13) ---   (†) 54.1   (1.91) 93.2   (0.93) 93.6   (0.96) 99.2   (0.38) 92.8   (1.18)
1,000 or more 97.7   (0.52) 96.0   (1.04) 49.9   (2.31) 94.2   (1.06) 73.9   (2.02) 95.5   (0.77) ---   (†) 49.7   (2.52) 92.7   (1.03) 95.9   (0.81) 98.5   (0.50) 93.1   (1.27)

Locale
                                                                       
City 96.8   (0.95) 94.4   (1.37) 48.4   (2.64) 93.4   (1.27) 70.5   (2.20) 91.2   (1.61) ---   (†) 49.6   (3.27) 90.0   (1.37) 95.7   (1.10) 99.0   (0.47) 92.9   (1.35)
Suburban 96.4   (1.03) 97.0   (0.77) 51.2   (2.22) 94.0   (1.05) 75.0   (1.86) 92.8   (1.26) ---   (†) 52.7   (2.34) 92.7   (1.10) 94.3   (1.02) 99.1   (0.45) 94.1   (1.25)
Town 97.2   (1.04) 97.2   (1.30) 55.1   (3.26) 92.0   (2.57) 74.8   (3.30) 92.2   (1.93) ---   (†) 54.2   (3.78) 89.2   (2.60) 92.0   (1.68) 96.4   (1.30) 90.2   (2.03)
Rural 94.8   (1.36) 97.0   (1.11) 57.6   (2.32) 92.9   (1.63) 75.2   (2.32) 88.1   (2.04) ---   (†) 52.6   (2.39) 84.5   (2.30) 93.5   (1.56) 95.2   (1.15) 87.6   (1.93)

Percent minority
    enrollment9
                                                                       
0 to 25 percent 97.0   (1.02) 97.7   (0.66) 53.3   (2.19) 94.8   (1.21) 76.0   (1.99) 91.3   (1.49) ---   (†) 52.3   (2.10) 91.4   (1.65) 94.0   (1.39) 97.0   (0.91) 91.6   (1.49)
26 to 50 percent 96.0   (1.30) 96.1   (1.26) 52.2   (2.68) 92.3   (1.60) 74.9   (2.50) 90.1   (1.96) ---   (†) 53.9   (2.83) 90.2   (1.87) 94.3   (1.05) 97.6   (0.92) 93.0   (1.76)
51 to 75 percent 96.6   (1.23) 98.6   (0.57) 48.6   (3.06) 93.5   (1.49) 73.6   (2.68) 92.7   (1.79) ---   (†) 50.4   (3.39) 85.2   (2.52) 96.6   (0.97) 99.8   (0.17) 93.0   (2.04)
76 to 100 percent 94.8   (1.13) 93.1   (1.47) 55.2   (2.89) 92.0   (1.44) 70.3   (2.24) 90.2   (1.62) ---   (†) 51.2   (3.03) 89.0   (1.69) 92.5   (1.46) 97.1   (0.98) 89.2   (1.52)

Percent of students
    eligible for free or
    reduced-price lunch
                                                                       
0 to 25 percent 96.5   (1.31) 97.4   (0.86) 48.6   (2.76) 93.7   (1.60) 74.8   (2.68) 92.6   (1.77) ---   (†) 50.8   (2.87) 92.1   (1.74) 96.7   (1.02) 97.8   (1.06) 96.3   (0.95)
26 to 50 percent 96.5   (1.11) 97.8   (0.73) 53.8   (2.27) 94.6   (1.08) 77.5   (2.29) 92.6   (1.59) ---   (†) 52.1   (2.99) 92.6   (1.35) 94.4   (1.08) 98.4   (0.71) 93.8   (1.49)
51 to 75 percent 96.3   (1.07) 96.7   (1.09) 52.8   (2.94) 93.7   (1.43) 75.8   (2.13) 88.7   (1.84) ---   (†) 55.1   (2.66) 86.6   (2.07) 93.8   (1.44) 97.4   (0.98) 89.9   (2.05)
76 to 100 percent 95.6   (1.13) 94.3   (1.22) 54.0   (2.50) 91.7   (1.53) 68.6   (2.46) 90.7   (1.77) ---   (†) 50.0   (3.06) 87.3   (1.65) 92.9   (1.40) 97.3   (0.92) 88.3   (1.57)
---Not available.
†Not applicable.
1 For example, earthquakes or tornadoes.
2 For example, release of mustard gas, anthrax, smallpox, or radioactive materials.
3 Defined for respondents as "a procedure that requires all students and staff to leave the building. The evacuation plan may encompass relocation procedures and include backup buildings to serve as emergency shelters. Evacuation also includes 'reverse evacuation,' a procedure for schools to return students to the building quickly if an incident occurs while students are outside."
4 Defined for respondents as "a procedure that involves securing school buildings and grounds during incidents that pose an immediate threat of violence in or around the school."
5 Defined for respondents as "a procedure that requires all students and staff to remain indoors because it is safer inside the building or a room than outside. Depending on the threat or hazard, students and staff may be required to move to rooms that can be sealed (such as in the event of a chemical or biological hazard) or without windows, or to a weather shelter (such as in the event of a tornado)."
6 Prior to 2015-16, active shooter scenarios were described in the questionnaire as "shootings."
7 The coronavirus pandemic affected the 2019-20 data collection activities, while the change to virtual schooling and the adjusted school year may have impacted the data collected by SSOCS. Readers should use caution when comparing 2019-20 estimates with 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).
8 Elementary schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades K through 4 than in higher grades. Middle schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 5 through 8 than in higher or lower grades. Secondary/high schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 9 through 12 than in lower grades. Combined/other schools include all other combinations of grades, including K–12 schools.
9 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.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2015-16, 2017-18, and 2019-20 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2016, 2018, and 2020. (This table was prepared October 2021.)

2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest