Table 1. Number and percentage of public elementary schools reporting incidents of crime that occurred at school, the number of incidents, and the rate of incidents per 1,000 students, by incident type and selected school characteristics: School year 2009

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Table 1. Number and percentage of public elementary schools reporting incidents of crime that occurred at school, the number of incidents, and the rate of incidents per 1,000 students, by incident type and selected school characteristics: School year 2009–10


		Violent incidents¹						Serious violent incidents²								Theft³								Other incidents⁴
School characteristic	Total number of schools	Number of schools	Percent of schools	Number of incidents		Rate per 1,000 students		Number of schools		Percent of schools		Number of incidents		Rate per 1,000 students		Number of schools		Percent of schools		Number of incidents		Rate per 1,000 students		Number of schools		Percent of schools	Number of incidents		Rate per 1,000 students
All public elementary schools	48,900	31,500	64.4	482,100		21.3		6,400		13.0		21,900		1.0		12,600		25.7		41,700		1.8		28,000		57.3	101,900		4.5

Enrollment size
Less than 300	11,300	6,400	56.3	63,400		26.0		1,100	!	9.9		2,700	!	1.1	!	1,900		16.6		6,500		2.7		5,600		49.2	15,400		6.3
300–499	18,300	12,300	67.3	177,600		23.6		2,900		16.1		10,000	!	1.3	!	4,600		25.2		10,300		1.4		10,200		56.0	37,100		4.9
500–999	18,300	11,900	65.3	219,000		19.1		2,100		11.7		7,700		0.7		5,500		29.8		21,800		1.9		11,400		62.6	44,000		3.8
1,000 or more	1,100	900	83.8	22,100		19.1		200	!	15.3	!	‡		‡		700		62.0		3,100		2.7		800		72.1	5,400	!	4.6	!

Urbanicity
City	14,200	9,600	67.5	177,100		25.5		2,200		15.7		5,200		0.8		4,400		31.0		15,600		2.3		9,300		65.2	41,800		6.0
Suburb	15,300	9,600	62.4	148,000		18.4		1,600		10.5		5,400		0.7		4,000		26.2		10,900		1.4		8,300		53.9	27,300		3.4
Town	6,400	4,600	71.7	69,600		26.6		900		14.2		2,700	!	1.0	!	1,700		26.2		6,700	!	2.5	!	4,200		66.0	11,600		4.4
Rural	13,000	7,800	59.7	87,400		17.4		1,600		12.4		8,500	!	1.7	!	2,500		19.1		8,600	!	1.7	!	6,300		48.2	21,300		4.2

Crime level where students live⁵
High	3,400	3,100	91.8	83,300		44.9		800		22.7		3,700	!	2.0	!	1,400		40.2		5,800		3.1		2,500		74.2	15,600		8.4
Moderate	11,700	8,800	74.9	158,900		30.6		1,800		15.4		5,700	!	1.1	!	3,900		33.4		15,300		2.9		7,400		63.2	33,400		6.4
Low	28,200	15,900	56.5	162,300		12.8		2,600		9.3		9,500	!	0.7	!	5,600		19.9		14,100		1.1		14,200		50.5	39,200		3.1
Mixed	5,600	3,700	65.2	77,600		27.3		1,200		20.5		3,100	!	1.1	!	1,700		30.0		6,500		2.3		3,900		68.7	13,700		4.8

Percent of combined Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native students
Less than 5 percent	5,900	3,400	57.5	47,000	!	25.2	!	600	!	10.6	!	1,800	!	1.0	!	1,300		22.5		2,900	!	1.5	!	2,500		43.1	6,500		3.5
5 to less than 20 percent	12,000	6,600	55.5	74,000		14.4		800	!	6.7	!	2,500	!	0.5	!	1,700		13.8		4,500	!	0.9		5,700		47.5	14,000		2.7
20 to less than 50 percent	12,000	7,900	66.2	107,600		18.3		1,800		15.2		8,800	!	1.5	!	3,300		27.4		10,900		1.9		6,900		57.7	26,600		4.5
50 percent or more	19,100	13,600	70.9	253,500		26.0		3,100		16.3		8,700		0.9		6,300		33.1		23,500		2.4		12,900		67.4	54,700		5.6

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
0–20 percent	8,000	3,500	44.4	36,200		8.9		400	!	5.4	!	2,400	!	0.6	!	1,100		14.0		3,200	!	0.8	!	3,100		39.1	10,100		2.5
21–50 percent	13,400	8,400	62.3	109,200		18.1		1,500		11.2		3,800	!	0.6	!	3,300		24.9		7,200		1.2		7,100		52.7	21,500		3.6
More than 50 percent	27,500	19,600	71.2	336,700		26.9		4,400		16.1		15,700		1.3		8,100		29.5		31,300		2.5		17,800		64.8	70,200		5.6

Percent of students below 15th percentile on standardized tests
0–5 percent	20,500	11,600	56.8	131,600		14.0		2,200		10.6		5,800		0.6		4,100		20.0		11,200		1.2		10,100		49.4	35,000		3.7
6–15 percent	17,100	11,700	68.4	176,700		22.1		2,300		13.5		7,700	!	1.0	!	4,700		27.6		15,600		2.0		10,700		62.7	41,200		5.2
More than 15 percent	11,300	8,100	72.0	173,800		33.2		1,900		16.6		8,400		1.6		3,800		33.3		14,900		2.8		7,200		63.2	25,600		4.9

Percent of students likely to attend college
0–35 percent	11,600	7,900	68.2	184,900		34.9		1,600		13.6		5,800		1.1		3,300		28.5		15,000		2.8		7,300		62.9	34,800		6.6
36–60 percent	13,400	10,000	74.3	128,500		22.1		2,300		17.0		5,000		0.9		3,600		27.1		10,300		1.8		8,700		64.7	24,900		4.3
More than 60 percent	23,900	13,600	56.9	168,700		14.6		2,500		10.5		11,100		1.0		5,600		23.6		16,400		1.4		12,000		50.3	42,200		3.7

Percent of students who consider academic achievement important
0–25 percent	2,600	1,500	58.4	30,200	!	30.4	!	300	!	11.3	!	500	!	0.5	!	900	!	33.3		‡		‡		1,300		51.9	5,800	!	5.9
26–50 percent	5,800	4,100	71.3	72,700		26.0		900		14.6		3,500	!	1.2	!	2,200		38.2		8,800		3.2		3,900		67.8	16,700		6.0
51–75 percent	13,200	10,000	75.7	168,900		29.4		2,200		17.0		4,300		0.7		3,500		26.6		11,900		2.1		8,700		66.3	30,200		5.3
More than 75 percent	27,300	15,900	58.0	210,300		16.1		3,000		10.9		13,600		1.0		6,000		21.9		17,200		1.3		14,000		51.2	49,200		3.8

Percent male enrollment
0–44 percent	4,700	3,000	63.9	35,600		17.8		600	!	12.2	!	2,000	!	1.0	!	1,000		20.4		3,000	!	1.5	!	2,400		51.8	8,000		4.0
45–55 percent	38,600	25,400	65.9	410,900		22.4		5,400		13.9		19,100		1.0		10,400		26.9		36,200		2.0		22,500		58.2	82,500		4.5
More than 55 percent	5,600	3,000	54.4	35,600		15.4		400	!	7.0	!	‡		‡		1,200		22.4		2,600		1.1		3,100		55.4	11,400		4.9

Student-to-FTE ratio⁶
Less than 12 students	6,000	3,800	63.5	40,800		22.3		800	!	13.3		2,000	!	1.1	!	1,700		28.5		4,300		2.3		3,400		57.6	13,300		7.3
12–16 students	19,700	12,800	65.0	194,000		22.4		2,300		11.8		8,200	!	0.9	!	5,000		25.5		18,200		2.1		11,200		56.8	35,900		4.1
More than 16 students	23,300	14,900	64.1	247,300		20.4		3,200		13.9		11,800		1.0		5,900		25.2		19,300		1.6		13,400		57.5	52,600		4.3

Number of classroom changes⁷
0–3 changes	17,500	9,700	55.6	127,000		15.8		2,000		11.2		6,000		0.8		3,200		18.2		9,200		1.1		9,400		54.0	34,600		4.3
4–6 changes	24,200	16,500	68.2	264,300		23.2		2,900		11.9		8,900		0.8		6,700		27.5		25,000		2.2		14,100		58.0	48,600		4.3
More than 6 changes	7,200	5,300	73.0	90,900		28.1		1,500		20.9		6,900	!	2.1	!	2,700		38.0		7,500		2.3		4,500		62.7	18,700		5.8

Regular use of law enforcement ⁸
Regular use	13,600	9,000	66.4	210,400		29.5		2,200		15.9		9,900	!	1.4	!	4,300		31.8		17,800		2.5		8,700		64.2	33,300		4.7
No regular use	35,300	22,500	63.6	271,700		17.6		4,200		11.9		12,000		0.8		8,300		23.4		23,900		1.5		19,300		54.6	68,600		4.4

Number of serious discipline problems^⁹
No problems	38,000	22,000	57.9	241,600		14.0		4,000		10.6		10,200		0.6		7,900		20.8		23,900		1.4		19,800		52.0	60,600		3.5
1 problem	7,300	6,100	83.3	97,500		27.6		1,400		19.6		7,300	!	2.1	!	3,100		42.7		10,800		3.1		5,400		74.5	27,400		7.8
2 problems	1,800	1,600	93.1	48,500	!	55.9	!	‡		‡		‡		‡		800		43.3		2,800	!	3.2	!	1,400		76.5	5,400		6.2
3 or more problems	1,800	1,800	96.1	94,600	!	93.7		700		35.3		3,100	!	3.0	!	800	!	43.1		4,200	!	4.2	!	1,400		78.3	8,600		8.5

Transfers as a percentage of enrollment¹⁰
Less than 6 percent	12,300	6,400	51.9	79,400		14.2		900	!	6.9	!	3,100	!	0.6	!	2,400		19.5		6,100		1.1		5,800		47.2	21,200		3.8
6 to less than 11 percent	10,500	6,600	62.8	77,300		16.1		1,900		17.9		5,200		1.1		2,500		23.4		8,900		1.9		6,200		58.8	19,900		4.1
11 to less than 21 percent	11,900	7,500	63.1	96,300		17.3		1,600		13.7		4,400		0.8		3,500		29.1		10,000		1.8		7,300		61.7	23,000		4.1
21 percent or more	14,200	11,000	77.4	229,100		34.5		2,000		14.1		9,200	!	1.4	!	4,300		30.0		16,800		2.5		8,700		61.2	37,900		5.7

Prevalence of schoolwide disruptions¹¹
No disruptions	47,000	29,900	63.7	457,700		21.0		6,000		12.8		20,500		0.9		11,800		25.1		36,900		1.7		26,500		56.4	92,100		4.2
Any disruptions	1,900	1,600	80.1	24,400		28.0		400	!	18.8	!	‡		‡		800	!	41.5		‡		‡		1,500		79.3	9,800	!	11.2	!

Percent of students absent on a daily basis
0–2 percent	3,400	1,700	49.7	32,000	!	20.2	!	300	!	8.5	!	2,500	!	1.6	!	600		16.0	!	1,900	!	1.2	!	1,600		45.1	3,800		2.4
3–5 percent	31,700	19,900	63.0	279,300		18.6		3,300		10.5		12,600		0.8		7,500		23.6		25,200		1.7		17,100		54.1	62,200		4.1
6–10 percent	12,100	8,900	73.6	152,800		28.7		2,600		21.7		6,600		1.2		4,100		33.6		13,000		2.4		8,600		70.8	32,400		6.1
More than 10 percent	1,700	900	54.9	18,000	!	26.0	!	‡		‡		‡		‡		500	!	29.1	!	‡		‡		700	!	44.5	3,500	!	5.1	!

Prevalence of violent incidents¹
No violent incidents	17,400	‡	‡	‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		‡		1,500		8.4		4,400	!	0.6	!	5,900		34.0	15,000		2.0
Any violent incidents	31,500	31,500	100.0	482,100		32.0		6,400		20.2		21,900		1.5		11,100		35.3		37,300		2.5		22,100		70.1	86,900		5.8
!Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 percent to 50 percent of the estimate’s value.
‡Reporting standards not met. The standard error represents more than 50 percent of the estimate.
¹Violent incidents include rape or attempted rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with or without a weapon, threat of physical attack with or without a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon.
²Serious violent incidents include rape or attempted rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon.
³Theft or larceny (taking things worth over $10 without personal confrontation) was defined for respondents as "the unlawful taking of another person's property without personal confrontation, threat, violence, or bodily harm. This includes pocket picking, stealing a purse or backpack (if left unattended or no force was used to take it from owner), theft from a building, theft from a motor vehicle or of motor vehicle parts or accessories, theft of a bicycle, theft from a vending machine, and all other types of thefts."
⁴Other 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; and vandalism.
⁵Respondents were asked, "How would you describe the crime level in the area(s) in which your students live?" Response options included "high level of crime," "moderate level of crime," "low level of crime," and "students come from areas with very different levels of crime."
⁶Student-to-FTE ratio was calculated by dividing the total number of students enrolled in the school by the total number of full-time-equivalent teachers and aides. The total number of full-time-equivalent teachers and aides is a combination of the full-time and part-time teachers and aides, including special education teachers and aides, with an adjustment to compensate for the part-time status.
⁷Respondents were asked, "How many classroom changes do most students make in a typical day?" Responses exclude morning arrival and afternoon departure.
⁸Respondents were asked, "During the 2009–10 school year, did you have any security guards, security personnel, or sworn law enforcement officers present at your school at least once a week?"
⁹Serious discipline problems include student racial/ethnic tensions, student bullying, student sexual harassment of other students, student verbal abuse of teachers, widespread disorder in classrooms, student acts of disrespect for teachers other than verbal abuse, gang activities, and cult or extremist group activities. If a respondent reported that any of these problems occurred daily or weekly in their school, each was counted once in the total number of serious discipline problems.
¹⁰Transfers as a percentage of enrollment combines the number of students who were transferred to a school and the number of students who were transferred from a school divided by the total number of students enrolled in the school.
¹¹Schoolwide disruptions include actions that disrupted school activities such as death threats, bomb threats, and chemical, biological, or radiological threats. Respondents were instructed to exclude all fire alarms, including false alarms.
NOTE: "At school" was defined for respondents to include activities happening in school buildings, on school grounds, on school buses, and at places that hold school-sponsored events or activities. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about crime and safety issues at the school. Elementary schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not higher than grade 3 & the highest grade is not higher than grade 8. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2009–10 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS).

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