September 12, 2018

Bulletin Reports

School Crime and Safety

The publication Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2017, produced jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the National Center for Education Statistics, presents data from the perspectives of students, teachers, and principals. It contains 23 indicators of school crime and safety, including violent deaths; nonfatal student and teacher victimization; school environment; fights, weapons, and illegal substances; fear and avoidance; discipline, safety, and security measures; and campus safety and security. Data sources include the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the NCVS, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), and School and Staffing Survey (SASS).

Highlights:

  • In 2016, students ages 12 to 18 experienced 749,400 theft and nonfatal violent victimizations at school (29 per 1,000 students) and 601,300 victimizations away from school (24 per 1,000 students).
  • The rate of total victimization at school was higher for male students (38 per 1,000) than for females (20 per 1,000) in 2016.
  • During the 2015-16 school year, the percentage of public schools reporting that student bullying occurred at least weekly was higher for middle schools (22 percent) than for high schools (15 percent), combined schools (11 percent), and primary schools (8 percent).
  • The percentage of public schools with a plan to implement in the event of a shooting increased over time, from 79 percent in 2003-04 to 92 percent in 2015-16.

The full report can be obtained from https://www.bjs.gov/, NCJ 251413.