New Schools Data Examine Violent Incidents, Bullying, Drug Possession, 'Restorative' Practices, Security Staff, and More

School Environment

• About 857,500 violent incidents and 479,500 nonviolent incidents were recorded by public schools in 2021-22.
• Sixty-seven percent of public schools reported having at least one violent incident. Also, 59 percent reported having at least one non-violent incident.
• About 71 percent of public high/secondary schools reported at least one incident of distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs in 2021-22. This figure represented a drop when compared with 2017-18 (76 percent) and 2019-20 (77 percent).
• The school crime and safety data for 2021-22 show a 1-point increase in public schools reporting at least one hate crime (3 percent), compared with 2 percent in the 2019-20 and 2017-18 school years.
• Schools were also asked about factors that limited their efforts to reduce or prevent crime. The two factors most often reported as limiting these efforts “in a major way” were lack of or inadequate alternative placements or programs for disruptive students (30 percent) and inadequate funding (27 percent).

Figure 1. Percentage of public schools with at least one recorded incident of crime that occured at school, by school level and incident type: School year 2021-22

¹ Elementary schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades K-4 than in higher grades. Middle schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 5-8 than in higher or lower grades. High/secondary schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 9-12 than in lower grades. Combined/other schools include all other combinations of grades, including K-12 schools.
² "Nonviolent incidents" include theft or larceny; vandalism; and inappropriate distribution, possession, use of prescription drugs; distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs or alcohol; possession of a firearm or explosive device; possession of a knife or sharp object.
³ "Violent incidents" include rape or attempted rape, sexual assault other than rape (including threatened rape), physical attack or fight with or without a weapon, threat of physical attack with or without a weapon, and robbery (taking things by force) with or without a weapon.
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. Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about school crime and policies to provide a safe environment. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2021-22 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2022.

Bullying and Cyberbullying

• A higher percentage of middle schools reported bullying on campus at least once per week in 2021-22, with 28 percent saying it took place at least once a week, compared with 15 percent for high/secondary schools and 10 percent for elementary schools.
• Similarly, cyberbullying at school or away from school at least once a week was reported by 37 percent of middle schools and 25 percent of high/secondary schools, compared to 6 percent of elementary schools.

Safety and Security Practices at Public Schools

• Public schools also reported on the different types of security staff present on campus at least once a week. About 46 percent of traditional public schools in 2021-22 had school resource officers (SROs). This compares with 18 percent at charter schools. In contrast, a higher percentage of charter schools reported having security officers or security personnel (35 percent) compared with traditional public schools (25 percent).
• In addition, the data show a decline in the proportion of public schools with sworn law enforcement officers who routinely carry a firearm at school. The 2021-22 figure was 45 percent, down from 51 percent in 2019-20. However, the most recent figure was not measurably different from the 47 percent of law enforcement officers in public schools with a firearm in 2017-18.
• During the 2021-22 school year, 92 percent of public schools said they had a formal plan to prepare for and respond to multi-country or worldwide pandemic disease. Schools had written plans describing the procedures to be performed in various other crisis scenarios as well, including active shooters (96 percent), natural disasters (96 percent), suicide threats or incidents (94 percent), and bomb threats (92 percent).
• In 2021-22, higher percentages of elementary schools (87 percent), middle schools (77 percent), and schools with other grades combined (70 percent) reported having policies that prohibited the nonacademic use of cellphones in school, compared to high/secondary schools (43 percent).

Supports for Students

• Public schools were asked whether they engaged in restorative practices with their students (often referred to as “restorative justice”). Fifty-nine percent of public schools said they did, about the same proportion as in 2019-20 but higher than the 42 percent in 2017-18.
• About 72 percent of charter schools reported involving students in restorative practices, which was higher than the percentage of traditional public schools (58 percent) that reported doing so.
• Forty-nine percent of public schools provided diagnostic mental health assessments in 2021-22 to evaluate students for mental health disorders. This figure was down from 55 percent in 2019-20, but not measurably different from 2017-18. Thirty-eight percent of schools provided treatment to students for mental health disorders in 2021-22. This figure was down from 2019-20 (42 percent) but not measurably different from 2017-18.
• About 90 percent of public schools offered individual mentoring, tutoring, or coaching of students by adults

Technical Note

Statistics from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error

All comparisons in this statistical press release have been tested and found to be statistically significant, unless otherwise noted. NCES statistical tests are generally conducted at a 95 percent level of confidence. Consult Appendix A tables of the report for specific standard errors.

Definitions

Restorative Practices. Restorative practices was defined for respondents as a formal mediation process led by a facilitator that brings affected parties of a problem together to explore what happened, reflect on their roles, find a solution, and ultimately restore harmony to individual relationships and the larger community. Examples of student involvement in restorative practices provided for respondents were “peace or conflict circles.”

School Resource Officer. School Resource Officer was defined for respondents as career sworn law enforcement officers with arrest authority, who have specialized training and are assigned to work in collaboration with school organizations. Sworn law enforcement officers include School Resource Officers and other sworn law enforcement officers who are not School Resource Officers.

Serious Violent Incidents. Serious violent incidents include rape or attempted rape, sexual assault other than rape (including threatened rape), physical attack or fight with a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery (taking things by force) with or without a weapon.

Violent Incidents. All violent incidents include serious violent incidents as well as physical attack or fight without a weapon and threat of physical attack without a weapon.