Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016

NCES 2017-064 NCJ 250650

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016

MAY 2017

Lauren Musu-Gillette Project Officer National Center for Education Statistics Anlan Zhang Ke Wang Jizhi Zhang American Institutes for Research Barbara A. Oudekerk Bureau of Justice Statistics

NCES 2017-064 NCJ 250650

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

U.S. Department of Education Betsy DeVos Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences Thomas W. Brock Commissioner for Education Research Delegated the Duties of the Director

National Center for Education Statistics Peggy G. Carr Acting Commissioner

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Jeri M. Mulrow Acting Director

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in foreign countries.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, publishing, and disseminating statistical information about crime, its perpetrators and victims, and the operation of the justice system at all levels of government. It fulfills a congressional mandate to provide valid statistics on crime and justice systems, support improvement to justice information systems, and participate with national and international organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics.

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NCES, IES, U.S. Department of Education Potomac Center Plaza 550 12th Street SW Washington, DC 20202

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This report was prepared for the National Center for Education Statistics under Contract No. ED-IES12-D-0002 with American Institutes for Research. Mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Suggested Citation Musu-Gillette, L., Zhang, A., Wang, K., Zhang, J., and Oudekerk, B.A. (2017). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016 (NCES 2017-064/NCJ 250650). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, DC.

This publication is only available online. To download, view, and print the report as a PDF file, go to http:// nces. or .

Contact at NCES Lauren Musu-Gillette 202-245-7045 lauren.musu-gillette@

Contact at BJS Barbara A. Oudekerk 202-616-3904 Barbara.A.Oudekerk@

Executive Summary

Introduction

Our nation's schools should be safe havens for teaching and learning, free of crime and violence. Any instance of crime or violence at school not only affects the individuals involved, but also may disrupt the educational process and affect bystanders, the school itself, and the surrounding community (Brookmeyer, Fanti, and Henrich 2006; Goldstein, Young, and Boyd 2008).

Establishing reliable indicators of the current state of school crime and safety across the nation and regularly updating and monitoring these indicators are important in ensuring the safety of our nation's students. This is the aim of Indicators of School Crime and Safety.

This report is the 19th in a series of annual publications produced jointly by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), in the U.S. Department of Education, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the U.S. Department of Justice. This report presents the most recent data available on school crime and student safety. The indicators in this report are based on information drawn from a variety of data sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, principals, and postsecondary institutions. Sources include results from the School-Associated Violent Death Surveillance System, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Justice, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the National Crime Victimization Survey and School Crime Supplement to that survey, sponsored by BJS and NCES, respectively; the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, sponsored by the CDC; the Schools and Staffing Survey, School Survey on Crime and Safety, Fast Response Survey System, EDFacts, and Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010?11, all sponsored by NCES; the Supplementary Homicide Reports, sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Campus Safety and Security Survey and Civil Rights Data Collection, both sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education; and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. The most recent data collection for each indicator varied by survey, from 2009 to 2015. Each data source has an independent sample design, data collection method,

and questionnaire design, or is the result of a universe data collection. Findings described in this report with comparative language (e.g., higher, lower, increase, and decrease) are statistically significant at the .05 level. Additional information about methodology and the datasets analyzed in this report may be found in appendix A.

This report covers topics such as victimization, teacher injury, bullying and cyber-bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions. Indicators of crime and safety are compared across different population subgroups and over time. Data on crimes that occur away from school are offered as a point of comparison where available.

Key Findings

Preliminary data show that there were 48 schoolassociated violent deaths1 from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014 (Indicator 1). In 2015, among students ages 12?18, there were about 841,100 nonfatal victimizations (theft2 and violent victimization3) at school4 and 545,100 nonfatal victimizations away from school (Indicator 2). In 2015, about 21 percent of students ages 12?18 reported being bullied at school during the school year (Indicator 11). Of the 804 total hate crimes5 reported on college campuses in 2014, the most common type of hate crime was intimidation (343 incidents), followed by destruction, damage, and vandalism (327 incidents) and simple assault (61 incidents; Indicator 23).

1 A school-associated violent death is defined as a homicide, suicide, or legal intervention death (involving a law enforcement officer), in which the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary or secondary school in the United States, while the victim was on the way to or from regular sessions at school, or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official schoolsponsored event. Victims include students, staff members, and others who are not students or staff members. 2 "Theft" includes attempted and completed purse-snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts, with the exception of motor vehicle thefts. Theft does not include robbery, which involves the threat or use of force and is classified as a violent crime. 3 "Violent victimization" includes serious violent crimes and simple assault. 4 "At school" includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way to or from school. 5 A hate crime is a criminal offense that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the perpetrator's bias against the victim(s) based on their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016 iii

The following key findings are drawn from each section of the report.

Spotlights

xx In 2015, about 15 percent of U.S. fourth-

graders and 7 percent of U.S. eighth-graders reported experiencing bullying at least once a month. These percentages were lower than the international averages for fourth-graders and eighth-graders (16 percent and 8 percent, respectively; Spotlight 1).

xx In the United States, 7 percent of participating

fourth-grade students attended schools that were less than safe and orderly, according to the data reported by their teachers. This was higher than the international average of 4 percent as well as higher than the percentages in 22 countries and not measurably different from the percentages in 19 countries. About 13 percent of participating U.S. eighth-grade students reported attending schools that were less than safe and orderly, according to the data reported by their teachers; this was higher than the international average of 8 percent. The percentage of U.S. eighth-grade students whose teachers reported their school was less than safe and orderly was lower than the percentages in 2 countries, higher than the percentages in 26 countries, and not measurably different from the percentages in 7 countries (Spotlight 1).

xx About 3 percent of U.S. fourth-graders and

2 percent of U.S. eighth-graders attended schools with moderate to severe discipline problems, according to data reported by their principals. These percentages were lower than the international averages for fourth-graders and eighth-graders (10 percent and 11 percent, respectively; Spotlight 1).

xx In the spring of 2014, about 15 percent of third-

graders reported that they were frequently teased, made fun of, or called names by other students; 22 percent were frequently the subject of lies or untrue stories; 14 percent were frequently pushed, shoved, slapped, hit, or kicked; and 15 percent were frequently excluded from play on purpose (Spotlight 2).

xx Third-graders who reported that they were

frequently victimized scored lower in reading, mathematics, and science than their peers who reported that they were never victimized or that they were sometimes or rarely victimized (Spotlight 2).

xx In 2015, a higher percentage of self-identified

gay, lesbian, or bisexual students than of selfidentified heterosexual students reported that they had been bullied on school property during the previous 12 months, overall (34 vs. 19 percent) as well as among male (26 vs. 15 percent) and female students (37 vs. 23 percent). Similarly, with respect to electronic bullying, a higher percentage of gay, lesbian, or bisexual students reported being electronically bullied during the previous 12 months in 2015 than did heterosexual students, overall (28 vs. 14 percent) as well as among male (22 vs. 9 percent) and female students (30 vs. 21 percent; Spotlight 3).

xx The percentages of students overall who reported

being in a physical fight anywhere and on school property during the previous 30 days were higher for self-identified gay, lesbian, or bisexual students (28 and 11 percent, respectively) and students who were not sure about their sexual orientation (35 and 15 percent, respectively) than for their self-identified heterosexual peers (22 and 7 percent, respectively; Spotlight 3).

xx A higher percentage of self-identified gay, lesbian,

or bisexual students than of self-identified heterosexual students reported that they had consumed alcohol on at least 1 day during the previous 30 days, overall (40 vs. 32 percent) and among female students (42 vs. 32 percent). A higher percentage of gay, lesbian, or bisexual students than of heterosexual students also reported using marijuana at least one time during the previous 30 days, overall (32 vs. 21 percent) and among female students (34 vs. 18 percent; Spotlight 3).

Violent Deaths

xx A total of 48 student, staff, and nonstudent

school-associated violent deaths occurred between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014, which included 26 homicides, 20 suicides, 1 legal intervention death,6 and 1 undetermined violent death.7 Of these 48 school-associated violent deaths, 12 homicides and 8 suicides were of school-age youth (ages 5?18; Indicator 1).

6 A legal intervention death is defined as a death caused by a law enforcement agent in the course of arresting or attempting to arrest a lawbreaker, suppressing a disturbance, maintaining order, or engaging in another legal action. 7 An undetermined violent death is a violent death for which the manner was undetermined. That is, the information pointing to one manner of death was no more compelling than one or more other competing manners of death when all available information was considered.

iv Executive Summary

xx Between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014, a total

of 12 of the 1,053 homicides of school-age youth occurred at school.8 During the same period, there were 8 suicides of school-age youth at school, compared with 1,645 total suicides of school-age youth that occurred in calendar year 2013 (Indicator 1).

Nonfatal Student and Teacher Victimization

xx In 2015, students ages 12?18 experienced

841,100 nonfatal victimizations (theft and violent victimization) at school and 545,100 nonfatal victimizations away from school. These figures represent total crime victimization rates of 33 victimizations per 1,000 students at school and 21 per 1,000 students away from school (Indicator 2).

xx Between 1992 and 2015, total victimization rates

for students ages 12?18 generally declined both at school and away from school. Additionally, thefts, violent victimizations, and serious violent victimizations both at and away from school all declined during this period (Indicator 2).

xx In 2015, students ages 12?18 residing in rural

areas had a lower rate of total victimization at school (18 victimizations per 1,000 students) than students residing in urban areas (35 victimizations per 1,000 students) and suburban areas (36 victimizations per 1,000 students; Indicator 2).

xx In 2015, approximately 3 percent of students

ages 12?18 reported being victimized at school during the previous 6 months. About 2 percent of students reported theft, 1 percent reported violent victimization, and less than one-half of 1 percent reported serious violent victimization (Indicator 3).

xx Between 1995 and 2015, the percentage of

students ages 12?18 who reported being victimized at school during the previous 6 months decreased overall (from 10 to 3 percent). During this period, the percentage of students who reported being victimized at school also decreased for both male (from 10 to 3 percent) and female students (from 9 to 3 percent), as well as for White (from 10 to 3 percent), Black (from 10 to 2 percent), and Hispanic students (from 8 to 2 percent; Indicator 3).

8 This finding is drawn from the School-Associated Violent Death Surveillance System, which defines "at school" for survey respondents as on school property, on the way to or from regular sessions at school, and while attending or traveling to or from a school-sponsored event.

xx In 2015, about 6 percent of students in grades

9?12 reported that they had been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property9 during the previous 12 months. The percentage of students who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property was lower in 2015 than in every survey year between 1993 and 2011; however, there was no measurable difference between the percentages in 2013 and 2015 (Indicator 4).

xx In each survey year from 1993 to 2015, a lower

percentage of female students than of male students in grades 9?12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the previous 12 months (Indicator 4).

xx In 2015, lower percentages of Asian students

(4 percent) and White students (5 percent) than of Black students (8 percent) and Pacific Islander students (20 percent) reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months (Indicator 4).

xx During the 2011?12 school year, a higher

percentage of public than private school teachers reported being threatened with injury (10 vs. 3 percent) or being physically attacked (6 vs. 3 percent) by a student from their school (Indicator 5).

xx Ten percent of elementary teachers and 9 percent

of secondary teachers reported being threatened by a student from their school in 2011?12. The percentage of elementary teachers who reported being physically attacked by a student was higher than the percentage of secondary teachers (8 vs. 3 percent; Indicator 5).

School Environment

xx During the 2013?14 school year, 65 percent of

public schools recorded that one or more incidents of violence had taken place, amounting to an estimated 757,000 crimes. This figure translates to a rate of approximately 15 crimes per 1,000 students enrolled in 2013?14 (Indicator 6).

xx In 2013?14, about 58 percent of public schools

recorded one or more incidents of a physical attack or fight without a weapon, 47 percent of schools recorded one or more incidents of threat of physical attack without a weapon, and 13 percent of public schools recorded one or more serious violent incidents (Indicator 6).

9 "On school property" was not defined for survey respondents in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2016 v

xx Primary schools recorded lower percentages of

violent incidents in 2013?14 (53 percent of schools) than middle schools (88 percent) and high schools and combined elementary/secondary schools (referred to as high/combined schools) (78 percent; Indicator 6).

xx The percentage of public schools that reported

student bullying occurred at least once a week decreased from 29 percent in 1999?2000 to 16 percent in 2013?14. Similarly, the percentage of schools that reported the occurrence of student verbal abuse of teachers decreased from 13 percent in 1999?2000 to 5 percent in 2013?14 (Indicator 7).

xx The percentage of public schools reporting

student harassment of other students based on sexual orientation or gender identity was lower in 2013?14 (1 percent) than in 2009?10 (3 percent; Indicator 7).

xx During the 2013?14 school year, the percentage

of public schools that reported student bullying occurred at least once a week was higher for middle schools (25 percent) than high schools/ combined schools (17 percent), and percentages for both of these school levels were higher than the percentage of primary schools (12 percent; Indicator 7).

xx Between 2001 and 2015, the percentage of

students ages 12?18 who reported that gangs were present at their school decreased from 20 to 11 percent. The percentage who reported gangs were present at their school was also lower in 2015 than in 2013 (12 percent; Indicator 8).

xx A higher percentage of students from urban areas

(15 percent) reported a gang presence than of students from suburban (10 percent) and rural areas (4 percent) in 2015. Additionally, a higher percentage of students attending public schools (11 percent) than of students attending private schools (2 percent) reported that gangs were present at their school in 2015 (Indicator 8).

xx In 2015, higher percentages of Black (17 percent)

and Hispanic (15 percent) students reported the presence of gangs at their school than of White (7 percent) and Asian (4 percent) students (Indicator 8).

xx The percentage of students in grades 9?12 who

reported that illegal drugs were made available to them on school property decreased from 32 percent in 1995 to 22 percent in 2015 (Indicator 9).

xx In 2015, lower percentages of Asian students

(15 percent), White students (20 percent), and Black students (21 percent) than of Hispanic students (27 percent) reported that illegal drugs were made available to them on school property (Indicator 9).

xx During the 2014?15 school year, the rate of

illicit drug-related discipline incidents was 389 per 100,000 students in the United States. The majority of jurisdictions had rates between 100 and 1,000 illicit drug-related discipline incidents per 100,000 students during the 2014?15 school year. Three states had rates of illicit drug-related discipline incidents per 100,000 students that were below 100: Wyoming, Texas, and Michigan, while Kentucky had the only rate that was above 1,000 (Indicator 9).

xx The percentage of students ages 12?18 who

reported being the target of hate-related words at school during the school year decreased from 12 percent in 2001 (the first year of data collection for this item) to 7 percent in 2015 (Indicator 10).

xx The percentage of students ages 12?18 who

reported seeing hate-related graffiti at school during the school year decreased from 36 percent in 1999 (the first year of data collection for this item) to 27 percent in 2015 (Indicator 10).

xx In 2015, lower percentages of White (6 percent)

and Hispanic (7 percent) students than of Black (9 percent) students and students of other racial/ ethnic groups (11 percent) reported being called a hate-related word at school during the school year. Also in 2015, a lower percentage of Asian students than students of any other race/ethnicity reported seeing hate-related graffiti at school during the school year (Indicator 10).

xx In 2015, about 21 percent of students ages 12?18

reported being bullied at school during the school year. A higher percentage of female than of male students reported being bullied at school during the school year (23 vs. 19 percent; Indicator 11).

xx In 2015, about 33 percent of students who

reported being bullied at school indicated that they were bullied at least once or twice a month during the school year. The percentage of students who reported notifying an adult after being bullied at school was higher for those who reported being bullied once or twice a week than for those who reported being bullied once or twice a year (63 vs. 37 percent; Indicator 11).

vi Executive Summary

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