Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1998 ----------------------------------------------------- This report has been superceded by Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1999 It is available at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs98.htm ----------------------------------------------------- [Note: The figures for this document are not included in this file, but only in the Acrobat Portable Document Format files.] This report is one in a series. To determine if a more recent version is available, go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#indicators U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Research and Improvement National Center for Education Statistics NCES 98-251 U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics NCJ 172215 October 1998 Phillip Kaufman, Xianglei Chen, Susan P. Choy MPR Associates, Inc. Kathryn A. Chandler, Christopher D. Chapman National Center for Education Statistics Michael R. Rand, Cheryl Ringel Bureau of Justice Statistics * U.S. Department of Education Richard W. Riley, Secretary Office of Educational Research and Improvement C. Kent McGuire, Assistant Secretary National Center for Education Statistics Pascal D. Forgione, Jr., Commissioner * U.S. Department of Justice Janet Reno, Attorney General Office of Justice Programs Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General Bureau of Justice Statistics Jan M. Chaiken, 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 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. These data are critical to federal, state, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded. October 1998 Suggested Citation Kaufman, P., Chen, X., Choy, S. P., Chandler, K. A., Chapman, C. D., Rand, M. R. and Ringel, C. Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1998. U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. NCES 98-251/NCJ 172215. Washington, D.C.: 1998. This publication can be downloaded from the World Wide Web at http://nces.ed.gov or http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/. Single hard copies can be ordered through ED Pubs at 1-877-4ED-PUBS (NCES 98-251) (TTY/TDD 1-877-576-7734), and the Bureau of Justice Statistics Clearinghouse at 1-800-732-3277 (NCJ-172215). Contact at NCES: Kathryn Chandler (202) 219-1767 (e-mail) kathryn_chandler@ed.gov Contact at BJS: Michael Rand (202) 616-3494 (e-mail) randm@ojp.usdoj.gov * Foreword The string of tragic violent incidents that occurred in school year 1997-1998 has refocused the American public's attention on school crime and safety. When the first events occurred, it became clear that there was no single source of information about crime and violence in the nation's schools, and President Clinton called on the Departments of Justice and Education to produce an annual report card on school violence. The Departments responded to that request by producing the Annual Report on School Safety: 1998 to inform educators, parents and students about the current nature of crime in schools and about programs schools and school systems have instituted to work towards making schools safer. At the same time, the statistical agencies of the two departments identified a broader range of indicators on school crime and safety to be reported annually. This report, Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1998, is a joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics. It is meant to provide detailed statistical information supporting the Annual Report. This series will provide the President, Congress, and the public with an analysis of the latest and best national data on school crime and safety in the United States. In addition to providing this new report on school safety and crime, the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics have initiated new data collection efforts that will provide even more timely and accurate statistics on this issue in years to come. These efforts will include a more regularly conducted School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey scheduled now for 1999 and every two years thereafter, and a new biennial school-based survey starting in 2000 that will collect data on crime and discipline problems in our nation's schools. We hope that this and subsequent reports will help inform the President, Congress, and the public on our nation's progress in providing our children with safe places to live and learn. Pascal D. Forgione, Jr., Ph.D. Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D. Commissioner of Director of the Education Statistics Bureau of Justice Statistics Highlights Schools should be safe and secure places for all students, teachers, and staff members. Without a safe learning environment, teachers cannot teach and students cannot learn. Recent efforts by schools, local authorities, and the state and federal governments have prompted the nation to focus on improving the safety of American schools. It is the hope that all children will be able to go to and from school and be at school without fearing for their safety or the safety of their friends and teachers. Judging progress toward providing safer schools requires establishing good indicators on the current state of school crime and safety and periodically monitoring and updating these indicators. This report, the first in a series of annual reports on school crime and safety from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, presents the latest available data on school crime and student safety. The report provides a profile of school crime and safety in the United States and describes the characteristics of the victims of these crimes. It is organized as a series of indicators, with each indicator presenting data on different aspects of school crime and safety. There are five sections to the report: Nonfatal Student Victimization-- Student Reports; Violence and Crime at School-- Public School Principal/Disciplinarian Reports; Violent Deaths at School; Nonfatal Teacher Victimization at School--Teacher Reports; and School Environment. Each section contains a set of indicators that, taken as a whole, describe a distinct aspect of school crime and safety. The indicators rely on data collected by a variety of federal departments and agencies including the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because the report relies on so many different data sets, the age groups and the time periods analyzed can vary from indicator to indicator. Readers should keep this in mind as they compare data from different indicators. Furthermore, while every effort has been made to keep key definitions consistent across indicators, different surveys sometimes use different definitions, such as those for specific crimes and "at school." (Readers should consult the glossary of terms in appendix C for the specific definitions used in each survey.) Therefore caution should be used in making comparisons between results from different data sets. Descriptions of these data sets are located in appendix B of this report. Some of the key findings from the various sections of this report are as follows (all comparisons reported in this report were statistically significant at the 0.05 level. See appendix B for details on the methods used here): Nonfatal Student Victimization--Student Reports In 1996, students ages 12 through 18 were victims of about 255,000 incidents of nonfatal serious violent crime at school and about 671,000 incidents away from school. These numbers indicate that when students were away from school they were more likely to be victims of nonfatal serious violent crime including rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault--than when they were at school (Indicator 1). * The percentages of 12th graders who have been injured (with or without a weapon) at school have not changed notably over the past 20 years, although the percentages who have been threatened with injury (with a weapon or without a weapon) show a very slight overall upward trend (Indicator 3). * In 1996, 5 percent of all 12th graders reported that they had been injured with a weapon such as a knife, gun, or club during the past 12 months while they were at school that is, inside or outside the school building or on a school bus and 12 percent reported that they had been injured on purpose without a weapon while at school (Indicator 3). * Students were differentially affected by crime according to where they lived. In 1996, 12- through 18-year-old students living in urban areas were more vulnerable to serious violent crime than were students in suburban and rural areas both at and away from school. However, student vulnerability to theft in 1996 was similar in urban, suburban, and rural areas both at and away from school (Indicator 1). Violence and Crime at School--Public School Principal/Disciplinarian Reports In 1996-97, 10 percent of all public schools reported at least one serious violent crime to the police or a law enforcement representative. Principals'reports of serious violent crimes included murder, rape or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Another 47 percent of public schools reported a less serious violent or nonviolent crime (but not a serious violent one). Crimes in this category include physical attack or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, and vandalism. The remaining 43 percent of public schools did not report any of these crimes to the police (Indicator 6). * Elementary schools were much less likely than either middle or high schools to report any type of crime in 1996-97. They were much more likely to report vandalism (31 percent) than any of the other crimes (19 percent or less) (Indicator 7). * At the middle and high school levels, physical attack or fight without a weapon was generally the most commonly reported crime in 1996-97 (9 and 8 per 1,000 students, respectively). Theft or larceny was more common at the high school than the middle school level (6 versus 4 per 1,000 students) (Indicator 7). Violent Deaths at School Seventy-six students were murdered or committed suicide at school during the combined 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years (the latest period for which data are available). Nonstudent violent deaths also occurred at school. During this period, there were 105 violent deaths at school of which 29 involved nonstudents (Indicator 8). * Most murders and suicides among young people occurred while they were away from school. In the combined 1992 and 1993 calendar years, 7,357 young people ages 5 through 19 were murdered, and 4,366 committed suicide in all locations (Indicator 8). * Students in urban schools had a higher level of risk of violent death at school than their peers in suburban or rural schools. The estimated rate of school-associated violent death for students in urban schools was nine times greater than the rate for students in rural schools and two times greater than that for students in suburban schools during the combined 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years (Indicator 8). Nonfatal Teacher Victimization at School--Teacher Reports Over the 5-year period from 1992 to 1996, teachers were victims of 1,581,000 nonfatal crimes at school, including 962,000 thefts and 619,000 violent crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault) (Indicator 9). This translates into about 316,000 nonfatal crimes per year over this time period. * In the period from 1992 to 1996, middle and junior high school teachers were more likely to be victims of violent crime (most of which were simple assaults) than senior high school teachers, who in turn were more likely to be victims of violent crime than elementary school teachers (Indicator 9). * In the 1993-94 school year, 12 percent of all elementary and secondary school teachers were threatened with injury by a student, and 4 percent were physically attacked by a student. This represented about 341,000 teachers who were victims of threats of injury by students and 120,000 teachers who were victims of attacks by students that year (Indicator 10). School Environment Between 1989 and 1995, there were increases in the percentages of students feeling unsafe while they were at school and while they were going to and from school. In 1989, 6 percent of students ages 12 through 19 sometimes or most of the time feared they were going to be attacked or harmed at school. By 1995, this percentage had risen to 9 percent. During the same period, the percentage of students fearing they would be attacked while traveling to and from school rose from 4 percent to 7 percent (Indicator 12). * Between 1989 and 1995, the percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who avoided one or more places at school for fear of their own safety increased, from 5 percent to 9 percent. In 1995, this percentage represented 2.1 million students (Indicator 13). * Between 1989 and 1995, the percentage of students who reported that street gangs were present at their schools increased. In 1989, 15 percent of students reported gangs being present in their schools. By 1995, this percentage had risen to 28 percent (Indicator 14). * There was a decline between 1993 and 1996 in the percentage of male high school seniors who reported carrying a weapon to school at least 1 day within the 4 weeks before the survey the percentage fell from 14 percent in 1993 to 9 percent in 1996. However, there was little change in the percentage of female students who reported doing so (from 2 to 3 percent) (Indicator 11). * Although 12th graders were less likely to use alcohol at school than at home or at parties, in 1996 about 8 percent of 12th graders had consumed alcohol at school in the past 12 months (Indicator 16). * The percentage of 12th graders who had taken various illegal drugs at school in the previous 12 months declined between 1976 and 1992. However, since 1992, use of marijuana and stimulants at school has increased (Indicator 17). Acknowledgments The authors wish to thank the heads of their respective agencies, Pat Forgione of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Jan Chaiken of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), for supporting this report. We also wish to thank members of the Department of Education/Department of Justice School Safety Report Working Group for guidance on content and constructive criticism on early drafts of the report. From BJS, we wish to thank Patsy Klaus, Craig Perkins, and Cathy Maston of Victimization Statistics Branch for their work in preparing and verifying data from the NCVS. From NCES, we wish to thank Mary Frase, Dan Kasprzyk, Edie McArthur, and Marilyn McMillen who served as reviewers. They each provided input that substantially improved the publication. Outside of NCES and BJS, school crime experts who reviewed the report were Bruce Taylor of the General Accounting Office, Eileen Poe-Yamagata of the National Center for Juvenile Justice in Pittsburgh, and Joanne Wiggins of the Planning and Evaluation Service of the U. S. Department of Education. Their advice was gratefully accepted. We particularly appreciated their willingness to review the report under very strict time constraints. Without the assistance of the following staff at MPR Associates this report could not have been produced: Barbara Kridl (overall production and proofreading), Andrea Livingston (editing), Leslie Retallick (figure design and text layout), Francesca Tussing (table layout), and Karyn Madden (proofreading). They provided invaluable editorial, graphic, and production assistance. Finally, the authors would like to thank Amanda Miller of the Education Statistics Services Institute and Marilyn Marbrook, Chief, assisted by Yvonne Boston and Jayne Robinson, of Publication and Electronic Dissemination at BJS, for their assistance in preparing this document for publication and dissemination. Table of Contents Foreword Highlights Acknowledgments List of Tables List of Figures Nonfatal Student Victimization Student Reports 1. Victimization of students at school and away from school 2. Prevalence of students being victimized at school 3. Prevalence of 12th graders being injured or threatened with injury at school 4. Prevalence of students being bullied at school 5. Prevalence of 12th graders having property stolen or damaged at school Violence and Crime at School Public School Principal/Disciplinarian Reports 6. Crimes reported to the police 7. Specific crimes reported to the police Violent Deaths at School 8. Violent deaths at school and away from school Nonfatal Teacher Victimization at School Teacher Reports 9. Nonfatal teacher victimization at school 10. Prevalence of teachers being threatened with injury or attacked by students School Environment 11. Prevalence of students carrying weapons to school 12. Students' perceptions of personal safety at school and when traveling to and from school 13. Students' reports of avoiding places at school 14. Students' reports of gangs at school 15. Public school principals' reports of discipline problems at school 16. Prevalence of 12th graders using alcohol at school and away from school 17. Prevalence of 12th graders using other drugs at school and away from school Supplemental Tables Standard Error Tables Appendix A. School Practices and Policies Related to Safety and Discipline Appendix B. Technical Notes Appendix C. Glossary of Terms List of Tables 1.1a Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 1.1b Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 1.2a Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 1.2b Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 1.3a Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 1.3b Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 1.4a Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 1.4b Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 2.1 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization, grade level, and school control: 1989 and 1995 3.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had injured them at school during the past 12 months, by use of a weapon and sex: 1976 to 1996 3.2 Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had threatened to injure, but had not injured, them at school during the past 12 months, by use of a weapon and sex: 1976 to 1996 4.1 Percentage and number of students in grades 6 to 12 who reported being bullied at school during the current school year, by urbanicity and selected student characteristics: 1993 5.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported that something of theirs had been stolen at school during the past 12 months, by sex: 1976 to 1996 5.2 Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had deliberately damaged their property at school during the past 12 months, by sex: 1976 to 1996 6.1 Percentage of public schools reporting one or more criminal incidents to police, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 6.2 Number of public schools reporting one or more criminal incidents to police, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 6.3 Number of criminal incidents occurring in public schools reported to police, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 6.4 Number of criminal incidents reported to police per 1,000 public school students, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 7.1 Percentage of public schools reporting one or more incidents of serious violent crime to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 7.2 Percentage of public schools reporting one or more less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 7.3 Number of public schools reporting one or more incidents of serious violent crime to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 7.4 Number of public schools reporting one or more less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 7.5 Number of serious violent criminal incidents occurring in public schools reported to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 7.6 Number of less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents occurring in public schools reported to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 7.7 Number of serious violent criminal incidents reported to police per 1,000 public school students, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 7.8 Number of less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents reported to police per 1,000 public school students, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 8.1 Number and percentage of school-associated violent deaths, by selected characteristics: 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years 9.1 Number of nonfatal crimes against teachers at school and average annual number of crimes per 1,000 teachers at school, by type of crime and selected teacher characteristics: Aggregated from 1992 to 1996 10.1 Percentage and number of teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury or that they were physically attacked by a student during the past 12 months, by urbanicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: 1993-94 school year 11.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported carrying a weapon or gun to school at least 1 day in the past 4 weeks, by sex: 1992 to 1996 11.2 Percentage of students in grades 9 to 12 who reported carrying a weapon on school property at least 1 day in the past 30 days, by selected student characteristics: 1993, 1995, and 1997 12.1 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported fearing being attacked or harmed at school or on the way to and from school, by selected student characteristics: 1989 and 1995 13.1 Percentage and number of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that they avoided one or more places in school, by urbanicity and selected student characteristics: 1989 and 1995 14.1 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that street gangs were present at school, by urbanicity and selected student characteristics: 1989 and 1995 15.1 Percentage and number of public schools reporting that 1 or more of 17 discipline issues was a serious problem in their school, by urbanicity and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 16.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported using alcohol in the past 12 months, by place and sex: 1976 to 1996 17.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported taking illegal drugs at school in the past 12 months, by type of drug: 1976 to 1997 17.2 Percentage of 12th graders who reported taking illegal drugs in the past 12 months, by location and type of drug: 1976 to 1997 S1.1a Standard errors for table 1.1a: Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 S1.1b Standard errors for table 1.1b: Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 S1.2a Standard errors for table 1.2a: Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 S1.2b Standard errors for table 1.2b: Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 S1.3a Standard errors for table 1.3a: Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 S1.3b Standard errors for table 1.3b: Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 S1.4a Standard errors for table 1.4a: Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 S1.4b Standard errors for table 1.4b: Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 S2.1 Standard errors for table 2.1: Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization, grade level, and school control: 1989 and 1995 S3.1 Standard errors for table 3.1: Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had injured them at school during the past 12 months, by use of a weapon and sex: 1976 to 1996 S3.2 Standard errors for table 3.2: Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had threatened to injure, but had not injured, them at school during the past 12 months, by use of a weapon and sex: 1976 to 1996 S4.1 Standard errors for table 4.1: Percentage and number of students in grades 6 to 12 who reported being bullied at school during the current school year, by urbanicity and selected student characteristics: 1993 S5.1 Standard errors for table 5.1: Percentage of 12th graders who reported that something of theirs had been stolen at school during the past 12 months, by sex: 1976 to 1996 S5.2 Standard errors for table 5.2: Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had deliberately damaged their property at school during the past 12 months, by sex: 1976 to 1996 S6.1 Standard errors for table 6.1: Percentage of public schools reporting one or more criminal incidents to police, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S6.2 Standard errors for table 6.2: Number of public schools reporting one or more criminal incidents to police, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S6.3 Standard errors for table 6.3: Number of criminal incidents occurring in public schools reported to police, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S6.4 Standard errors for table 6.4: Number of criminal incidents reported to police per 1,000 public school students, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S7.1 Standard errors for table 7.1: Percentage of public schools reporting one or more incidents of serious violent crime to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S7.2 Standard errors for table 7.2: Percentage of public schools reporting one or more less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S7.3 Standard errors for table 7.3: Number of public schools reporting one or more incidents of serious violent crime to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S7.4 Standard errors for table 7.4: Number of public schools reporting one or more less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S7.5 Standard errors for table 7.5: Number of serious violent criminal incidents occurring in public schools reported to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S7.6 Standard errors for table 7.6: Number of less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents occurring in public schools reported to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S7.7 Standard errors for table 7.7: Number of serious violent criminal incidents reported to police per 1,000 public school students, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S7.8 Standard errors for table 7.8: Number of less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents reported to police per 1,000 public school students, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S9.1 Standard errors for table 9.1: Number of nonfatal crimes against teachers at school and average annual number of crimes per 1,000 teachers at school, by type of crime and selected teacher characteristics: Aggregated from 1992 to 1996 S10.1 Standard errors for table 10.1: Percentage and number of teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury or that they were physically attacked by a student during the past 12 months, by urbanicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: 1993-94 school year S11.1 Standard errors for table 11.1: Percentage of 12th graders who reported carrying a weapon or gun to school at least 1 day in the past 4 weeks, by sex: 1992 to 1996 S11.2 Standard errors for table 11.2: Percentage of students in grades 9 to 12 who reported carrying a weapon on school property at least 1 day in the past 30 days, by selected student characteristics: 1993, 1995, and 1997 S12.1 Standard errors for table 12.1: Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported fearing being attacked or harmed at school or on the way to and from school, by selected student characteristics: 1989 and 1995 S13.1 Standard errors for table 13.1: Percentage and number of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that they avoided one or more places in school, by urbanicity and selected student characteristics: 1989 and 1995 S14.1 Standard errors for table 14.1: Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that street gangs were present at school, by urbanicity and selected student characteristics: 1989 and 1995 S15.1 Standard errors for table 15.1: Percentage and number of public schools reporting that 1 or more of 17 discipline issues was a serious problem in their school, by urbanicity and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 S16.1 Standard errors for table 16.1: Percentage of 12th graders who reported using alcohol in the past 12 months, by place and sex: 1976 to 1996 S17.1 Standard errors for table 17.1: Percentage of 12th graders who reported taking illegal drugs at school in the past 12 months, by type of drug: 1976 to 1997 S17.2 Standard errors for table 17.2: Percentage of 12th graders who reported taking illegal drugs in the past 12 months, by location and type of drug: 1976 to 1997 A1 Percentage of public schools reporting that they have a zero tolerance policy for various specified student offenses, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A2 Percentage of public schools reporting that students were required to wear school uniforms, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A3 Percentage of public schools reporting that they use various types of security measures at their schools, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A4 Percentage of public schools reporting that various levels of police or other law enforcement representatives were present during a typical week, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A5 Percentage of public schools reporting formal school violence prevention or reduction programs or efforts, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A6 Number and percentage of schools in which specified disciplinary actions were taken against students, total number of actions taken, and percentage of specific disciplinary actions taken against students, by type of infraction: 1996-97 A7 Standard errors for table A1: Percentage of public schools reporting that they have a zero tolerance policy for various specified student offenses, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A8 Standard errors for table A2: Percentage of public schools reporting that students were required to wear school uniforms, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A9 Standard errors for table A3: Percentage of public schools reporting that they use various types of security measures at their schools, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A10 Standard errors for table A4: Percentage of public schools reporting that various levels of police or other law enforcement representatives were present during a typical week, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A11 Standard errors for table A5: Percentage of public schools reporting formal school violence prevention or reduction programs or efforts, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 A12 Standard errors for table A6: Number and percentage of schools in which specified disciplinary actions were taken against students, total number of actions taken, and percentage of specific disciplinary actions taken against students, by type of infraction: 1996-97 B1 Descriptions of data sources and samples used in the report B2 Wording of survey questions used to construct indicators B3 Methods used to calculate standard errors of statistics for different surveys * List of Figures 1.1 Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 per 1,000 students, by type of crime and location: 1992 to 1996 1.2 Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1996 1.3 Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1996 2.1 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization and school control: 1989 and 1995 3.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had injured or had threatened to injure them at school during the past 12 months, by sex: 1996 3.2 Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had injured them at school during the past 12 months, by sex: 1976 to 1996 3.3 Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had threatened to injure, but had not injured, them at school during the past 12 months, by sex: 1976 to 1996 4.1 Percentage of students in grades 6 to 12 who reported being bullied at school during the current school year, by grade: 1992-93 5.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported that something of theirs had been stolen at school during the past 12 months, by sex: 1976 to 1996 6.1 Percentage distribution of public schools according to types of crimes reported to police: 1996-97 6.2 Percentage of public schools reporting one or more criminal incidents to police and number of incidents reported per 1,000 students, urbanicity: 1996-97 7.1 Percentage of public schools reporting one or more criminal incidents to police, by type of crime and instructional level: 1996-97 7.2 Number of crimes per 1,000 public school students, by type of crime, instructional level, and urbanicity: 1996-97 8.1 Number of murders and suicides of students at school and of youth ages 5 through 19 away from school: Combined 1992 and 1993 8.2 Percentage distribution of murders and suicides of students at school, by race ethnicity, instructional level, and urbanicity: 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years 9.1 Number of nonfatal crimes against teachers at school per 1,000 teachers, by type of crime and selected teacher characteristics: Aggregated from 1992 to 1996 10.1 Percentage of teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury or that they were physically attacked by a student during the past 12 months, by urbanicity and control: 1993-94 school year 11.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported carrying a weapon or gun to school at least 1 day in the past 4 weeks, by sex: Selected years 1992 to 1996 11.2 Percentage of students in grades 9 through 12 who reported carrying a weapon on school property at least 1 day in the past 30 days, by race ethnicity: 1993, 1995, and 1997 12.1 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported fearing being attacked or harmed at school, by race ethnicity: 1989 and 1995 12.2 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported fearing being attacked or harmed on the way to and from school, by race ethnicity: 1989 and 1995 12.3 Percentage of black, non-Hispanic students ages 12 through 19 who reported fearing being attacked or harmed on the way to and from school, by urbanicity: 1989 and 1995 13.1 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that they avoided one or more places in school, by race ethnicity: 1989 and 1995 13.2 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that they avoided one or more places in school, by urbanicity and race ethnicity: 1989 and 1995 14.1 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that street gangs were present at school, by control of school: 1989 and 1995 14.2 Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that street gangs were present at school, by urbanicity: 1989 and 1995 15.1 Percentage of public schools reporting that 1 or more of 17 discipline issues was a serious problem in their school, by instructional level and urbanicity: 1996-97 16.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported using alcohol in the past 12 months, by place: 1976 to 1996 16.2 Percentage of 12th graders who reported using alcohol in the past 12 months, by location and sex: 1976 to 1996 17.1 Percentage of 12th graders who reported using marijuana in the past 12 months, by location: 1976 to 1997 17.2 Percentage of 12th graders who reported using stimulants in the past 12 months, by location: 1976 to 1997 * * * Nonfatal Student Victimization--Student Reports 1. Victimization of students at school and away from school The amount of crime committed in the nation's schools continues to be a concern. However, students are exposed and vulnerable to crime away from as well as at school. In fact, life away from school may be more dangerous for some students than life at school. * Students ages 12 through 18 experienced fewer nonfatal serious violent crimes (that is, rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault) at school than away from school. (For this indicator, "at school" includes on school property or on the wasy to or from school.) In 1996, students in this age group were victims of about 255,000 incidents of such crimes at school and about 671,000 incidents away from school (tables 1.1b and 1.3b). The victimization rate for this type of crime remained relatively constant at school from 1992 to 1996, and declined very slightly away from school (figure 1.1 and tables 1.2a, b and 1.4a, b). * Students ages 12 through 18 were victims of about 1.3 million incidents of nonfatal violent crime (that is, serious violent crime plus simple assault) at school, and about 1.4 million incidents away from school in 1996 (tables 1.1b and 1.3b). There was a decline in the victimization rate at school between 1993 and 1996 (from 67 to 49 incidents per 1,000 students ages 12 through 18) (figure 1.1 and tables 1.2a, b). During this period, the victimization rates for nonfatal violent crime were similar at school and away from school. * Students ages 12 through 18 were more likely to be victims of theft at school than away from school each year between 1992 and 1996 (tables 1.1a, b and 1.3a, b). In 1996, they were victims of about 2.1 million thefts at school (62 percent of all crimes at school) and about 1.6 million thefts away from school (53 percent of all crimes away from school). The victimization rate declined slightly for thefts at school between 1992 and 1996, but remained about the same for thefts away from school during this period (figure 1.1 and tables 1.2a, b and 1.4a, b). * Considering all nonfatal crime (theft plus violent crime), 12- through 18-year-old students were victims of about 3.3 million crimes while they were at school in 1996, and a similar number of crimes (about 3.1 million) away from school (tables 1.1b and 1.3b). These represent victimization rates of 128 crimes per 1,000 students at school and 117 crimes per 1,000 students away from school (tables 1.2b and 1.4b). * In 1996, the rates for serious violent crime were higher for males than females at school and away from school (figures 1.2 and 1.3 and tables 1.2b and 1.4b). The rates for theft were similar for males and females at school but higher for males away from school compared to females. * In 1996, 12- through 18-year-old students living in urban areas were more vulnerable to serious violent crime than were students in suburban and rural areas both at school and away from school (figures 1.2 and 1.3 and tables 1.2b and 1.4b). However, student vulnerability to theft in 1996 was similar in urban, suburban, and rural areas both at school and away from school. 2. Prevalence of students being victimized at school Some of the crimes committed against students involve violence, while others involve their property. Presenting information on different types of victimization for public and private school students separately helps clarify how many students are affected and where the most serious problems are. * In 1995, about 15 percent of students ages 12 through 19 reported being victims of a crime at school during the previous 6 months (figure 2.1 and table 2.1). Students in both public and private schools were much more likely to report theft of property (from their desks, lockers, or other location) than they were to report being the victim of a violent crime (being physically attacked or having property taken by force). * Public school students were more likely to report having been victims of a violent crime during the previous 6 months (4 percent) than were private school students (2 percent) in 1995 (figure 2.1 and table 2.1). Public and private school students were about equally likely to report having had property stolen at school (theft) in that year (12 and 11 percent, respectively). * Victimization was related to grade level. In 1995, students in higher grades were less likely to report being the victims of violent and property crimes than were students in lower grades (table 2.1). When considering both types of crime, there was a notable difference between students in grades 6 through 9 on the one hand and students in grades 11 and 12 on the other. 3. Prevalence of 12th graders being injured or threatened with injury at school Every year, some students are injured or threatened with injury while they are at school. The percentages of students victimized in this way provide an important measure of how safe our schools are and how this is changing over time. * The percentages of 12th graders who have been injured at school--that is, inside or outside the school building or on a school bus (with or without a weapon)--have not changed notably over the past 20 years, although the percentages who have been threatened with injury (with a weapon or without a weapon) show a very slight overall upward trend (figures 3.2 and 3.3 and tables 3.1 and 3.2). * In 1996, 5 percent of all 12th graders reported that they had been injured with a weapon such as a knife, gun, or club during the past 12 months while they were at school, and 12 percent reported that they had been injured on purpose without a weapon while at school (table 3.1). * In 1996, 13 percent of all 12th graders reported that someone had threatened them with a weapon at school, and 22 percent reported that they had been threatened with injury without a weapon at school (table 3.2). * Male and female 12th graders were about equally likely to report having been injured on purpose without a weapon in 1996 at school (13 and 11 percent, respectively) (figure 3.1 and table 3.1). However, males were more likely than females to have been injured with a weapon or threatened with injury with or without a weapon while at school (figure 3.1 and tables 3.1 and 3.2). 4. Prevalence of students being bullied at school Bullying contributes to a climate of fear and intimidation in schools. As part of a youth interview on school safety and discipline conducted in 1993, students in grades 6 through 12 were asked if they had been victims of bullying at school. * Eight percent of all students in grades 6 through 12 reported that they had been victims of bullying at school during the 1992-93 school year (either in school, at school activities during the day, or on the way to or from school) (figure 4.1 and table 4.1). * The incidence of bullying declined as grade level increased (figure 4.1 and table 4.1). Students in 6th grade were about four times as likely as students in 12th grade to report being bullied at school in the 1992-93 school year. * The incidence of bullying at school was about the same (between 8 and 10 percent) in the 1992- 93 school year regardless of the urbanicity of the place where the student lived (table 4.1). * Urban males were more likely than urban females to report being victims of bullying at school (9 percent versus 6 percent) in the 1992-93 school year (table 4.1). However, this was not true of males and females in suburban areas or in rural areas. (See appendix C for definition of suburban used in NHES.) 5. Prevalence of 12th graders having property stolen or damaged at school One way that students are victimized at school is by having their personal property stolen or deliberately damaged. While less harmful than attacks on students themselves, such crimes have financial consequences and can divert students' attention from their studies as well as contribute to perceptions of school as unsafe places. * It is relatively common for 12th graders to have something of theirs stolen while on school property or on a school bus (theft) (figure 5.1 and table 5.1). In 1996, 42 percent of males and 40 percent of females reported that this had happened to them at least once during the past 12 months. The percentage of 12th graders having items stolen has increased slightly since 1976. * In most years between 1976 and 1996, 12th-grade males were more likely than 12th-grade females to have had something stolen at school or on a school bus (figure 5.1 and table 5.1). * In 1996, 26 percent of all 12th graders reported that, at least once during the last 12 months, someone had deliberately damaged their property (their car or their clothing, for example) while they were at school or on a school bus (table 5.2). The proportion of students victimized in this way has remained relatively constant between 1976 and 1996. * Twelfth-grade males had their property deliberately damaged at a consistently higher rate than 12th-grade females between 1976 and 1996 (table 5.2). In 1996, 32 percent of males had their property deliberately damaged at school or on a school bus, compared with 20 percent of females. * * * Violence and Crime at School--Public School Principal/Disciplinarian Reports 6. Crimes reported to the police The number of crimes that principals indicated that they reported to police or other law enforcement representatives is a useful measure of the occurrences of serious crimes in the nation's schools. The percentage of schools reporting crimes provides an indication of how widespread crime is, while the number of crimes reported provides information on the magnitude of the problem. * In 1996-97, 10 percent of all public schools reported at least one serious violent crime to a law enforcement representative (figure 6.1 and table 6.1). Another 47 percent of public schools reported a less serious violent or nonviolent crime (but not a serious violent one). The remaining 43 percent of public schools did not report any of these crimes to the police. * The vast majority of crimes reported by public schools were of the less serious violent or nonviolent type in 1996-97 (402,000 out of the 424,000 total crimes reported to the police) (table 6.3). * The percentage of schools reporting crimes was similar at the middle and high school levels (figure 6.2 and table 6.1). At each level, about 20 percent of the schools reported at least one serious violent crime, and about 55 percent reported at least one less serious violent or nonviolent crime, but no serious violent crime in 1996-97. * The numbers of reported incidents per 1,000 students were similar for middle and high schools for both serious violent and less serious violent and nonviolent crimes (figure 6.2 and table 6.4). For both types of crimes, there was a lower rate at the elementary level than at the middle or high school levels. * The percentage of schools reporting at least one serious violent crime was much higher in cities (17 percent) than in towns (5 percent) or rural areas (8 percent) during 1996-97 (figure 6.2 and table 6.1). 7. Specific crimes reported to the police Data on the prevalence of specific types of crimes add detail to the more general discussion of serious violent crimes and less serious violent and nonviolent crimes. Each type of crime affects students and schools differently. * About one-half (44 to 55 percent) of all public middle and high schools reported incidents of vandalism, theft or larceny, and physical attacks or fights without weapons to the police or other law enforcement representatives in the 1996-97 school year (figure 7.1 and table 7.2). Considerably smaller percentages of public middle and high schools reported the more serious violent crimes of rape or other type of sexual battery (5 and 8 percent, respectively); robbery (5 and 8 percent); or physical attack or fight with a weapon (12 and 13 percent) (table 7.1). * Elementary schools were much less likely than either middle or high schools to report any of the types of crime described here in 1996-97 (figure 7.1 and tables 7.1 and 7.2). They were much more likely to report vandalism (31 percent) than any of the other crimes (19 percent or less). * In 1996-97, physical attack or fight without a weapon was generally the most commonly reported crime at the middle and high school levels (9 and 8 per 1,000 public school students, respectively) (figure 7.2 and table 7.8). Theft or larceny was more common at the high school than the middle school level (6 versus 4 per 1,000 students). * Overall, there was relatively little variation by urbanicity in the crime rates at school discussed here during the 1996-97 school year (as measured by the number of crimes reported per 1,000 public school students) (figure 7.2 and tables 7.7 and 7.8). * * * Violent Deaths at School 8. Violent deaths at school and away from school Violent deaths are tragic events that affect not only the individuals directly involved but also everyone in the schools where they occur. Violent deaths at school have been the focus of recent attention; monitoring the magnitude of this problem is important. * Seventy-six youth were murdered or committed suicide at school during the combined 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years, the latest period for which data are available (figure 8.1 and table 8.1). (Homicides or suicides could have happened during any time of the day, not just during school hours. For this indicator, "at school" includes on school property, on the way to or from school, and while attending or traveling to or from an official school-sponsored event.) Nonstudent violent deaths also occurred at school. During this period, there was a total of 105 violent deaths at school of which 29 involved nonstudents. * Most murders and suicides of young people occurred while they were away from school. In the combined 1992 and 1993 calendar years, 7,357 young people ages 5 through 19 were murdered, and 4,366 committed suicide in all locations (figure 8.1). * Students in higher grades were more likely to be victims of violent death at school than those in lower grades during the combined 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years (figure 8.2 and table 8.1). Students in grades 9 through 12 had an estimated rate of school-associated violent death that was 13 times greater than that of students in grades 8 and under. * Of those who were murdered or who committed suicide at school during the combined 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years, black students were more likely than their counterparts from other racial-ethnic groups to be victims (figure 8.2 and table 8.1). * Students in urban schools also had a higher level of risk than their peers in suburban or rural schools (figure 8.2 and table 8.1). The estimated rate of school-associated violent death for students in urban schools was nine times greater than the rate for students in rural schools and two times greater than that for students in suburban schools during the combined 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years. * * * Nonfatal Teacher Victimization at School--Teacher Reports 9. Nonfatal teacher victimization at school Students are not the only ones who are victims of crime at school. Teachers in school are also the targets of violence. In addition to the personal toll such violence takes on teachers, teachers who worry for their safety may have difficulty teaching and may leave the profession altogether. Information on the number of crimes against teachers at school can help show how severe and widespread the problem is. * Over the 5-year period from 1992 and 1996, teachers were the victims of 1,581,000 nonfatal crimes at school, including 962,000 thefts and 619,000 violent crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) (table 9.1). On average, this translates into 316,000 nonfatal crimes per year. Among the violent crimes against teachers, there were about 89,000 serious violent crimes (14 percent of the violent crimes), including rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. On average, this translates into 18,000 serious violent crimes per year. * During the 1992-96 time period, the rate of serious violent crime at school was similar for elementary and secondary teachers (on average, 4 incidents per 1,000 teachers) regardless of their instructional level, sex, race-ethnicity, and the urbanicity of the schools where they taught (figure 9.1 and table 9.1). * In the period from 1992 to 1996, middle and junior high school teachers were more likely to be victims of violent crimes (most of which were simple assaults) than senior high school teachers (59 versus 32 crimes per 1,000 teachers), who in turn were more likely to be victims of violent crime than elementary school teachers (32 versus 17 crimes per 1,000 teachers) (figure 9.1 and table 9.1). * During the 1992-96 time period, compared with elementary school teachers, senior high school teachers were more likely to be targets of theft (64 versus 38 incidents per 1,000 teachers). * The violent crime rate among teachers at school varied by sex. Over the 5-year period from 1992 to 1996, male teachers were more likely to be victims of violent crimes than female teachers (41 versus 26 crimes per 1,000 teachers) (figure 9.1 and table 9.1). * Teachers were differentially affected by crimes at school according to where they taught. For example, during the 1992 to 1996 time period, urban teachers were more likely to be victims of violent crimes than suburban teachers (39 versus 20 crimes per 1,000 teachers). Urban teachers were also more likely to experience theft (57 incidents per 1,000 teachers) than suburban and rural teachers (37 and 32 incidents per 1,000 teachers, respectively) (figure 9.1 and table 9.1). 10. Prevalence of teachers being threatened with injury or attacked by students Some of the offenses against teachers are committed by students. Data on physical attacks and threats against elementary and secondary teachers by students can provide a snapshot of the prevalence of this problem. * In the 1993-94 school year, 12 percent of all elementary and secondary school teachers (341,000) were threatened with injury by a student from their school, and 4 percent (120,000) were physically attacked by a student (table 10.1). * Teachers in central city schools were more likely to be victims than were teachers in urban fringe or rural schools in 1993-94 (table 10.1). About 15 percent of teachers in central city schools had been threatened with injury by students, compared with 11 and 10 percent of teachers in urban fringe and rural schools. About 6 percent of teachers in central city schools had been attacked by students, compared with 4 and 3 percent of teachers in urban fringe and rural schools. * Public school teachers were more likely than private school teachers to be victimized by students in school in 1993-94 (figure 10.1 and table 10.1). Almost 13 percent of public school teachers had been threatened with injury by students, compared with 4 percent of private school teachers, and 4 percent of public school teachers had been physically attacked by students, compared with 2 percent of private school teachers. Teachers in public central city schools were about five times more likely to be targets of threats of injury and about three times more likely to be targets of attacks than their colleagues in private central city schools. * In 1993-94, secondary school teachers were more likely than elementary school teachers to have been threatened with injury by a student from their school (15 percent versus 9 percent) (table 10.1). However, elementary school teachers were more likely than secondary school teachers to have been physically attacked by a student (5 percent versus 3 percent). The prevalence of teacher victimization by students did not vary according to the racial ethnic backgrounds of teachers. * * * School Environment 11. Prevalence of students carrying weapons to school The presence of deadly weapons at school can create an intimidating and threatening atmosphere, making teaching and learning difficult. The percentages of students who report that they carry a weapon or a gun to school is an indicator of how widespread the problem of weapons at school is. * There was a decline between 1993 and 1996 in the percentage of male high school seniors who reported carrying a weapon to school at least 1 day within the 4 weeks before the survey the percentage fell from 14 percent in 1993 to 9 percent in 1996 (figure 11.1 and table 11.1). However, there was little change in the percentage of female students who reported carrying a weapon to school during this period (from 2 to 3 percent). * About 3 percent of high school seniors reported carrying a gun to school at least 1 day during the 4-week period preceding the survey (figure 11.1 and table 11.1). This percentage remained fairly stable from 1994 to 1996. * Among high school seniors in 1996, males were about 3 times more likely to report carrying a weapon to school and over 20 times more likely to report carrying a gun to school than were their female counterparts (figure 11.1 and table 11.1). * Eight percent of white 9th through 12th graders carried a weapon to school in 1997 (figure 11.2 and table 11.2). Between 1993 and 1997, the percentage of black 9th through 12th grade students who reported carrying a weapon to school at least 1 day within 30 days before the survey fell from 15 percent to 9 percent (a 40 percent reduction). 12. Students' perceptions of personal safety at school and when traveling to and from school One consequence of school violence is the fear that it can instill in students. Students who fear for their own safety may not be able or ready to learn. Concerns about vulnerability to attacks by others at school and on the way to and from school may also have a detrimental effect on the school environment and learning. * Between 1989 and 1995, there were increases in the percentages of students feeling unsafe while they were at school and while they were going to and from school (figures 12.1 and 12.2 and table 12.1). In 1989, 6 percent of students ages 12 through 19 sometimes or most of the time feared they were going to be attacked or harmed at school, while in 1995 this percentage rose to 9 percent. Between these years, the percentage of students fearing they would be attacked while traveling to and from school rose from 4 percent to 7 percent. * In 1989 and 1995, larger percentages of black and Hispanic students than white students feared attacks at school and when traveling to and from school (figures 12.1 and 12.2 and table 12.1). * Much of the increase between 1989 and 1995 in the percentage of students ages 12 through 19 fearing for their own safety at school came from an increase in the percentage of black students who did so (figure 12.1 and table 12.1). In 1995, this percentage was 13 percent, nearly double the percentage in 1989 (7 percent). * Examining student perceptions by location indicates that there was a large increase between 1989 and 1995 in the percentage of suburban black students who feared being attacked when traveling to and from school (figure 12.3 and table 12.1). The percentage of suburban lack students ages 12 through 19 fearing attacks increased almost threefold--from 6 percent to 16 percent. 13. Students' reports of avoiding places at school One consequence of crime at school is that students begin to perceive specific areas at school as unsafe. In order to try to ensure their own safety, they begin to avoid these areas. Changes in the percentage of students avoiding areas at school may be a good barometer of how safe schools are at least in the minds of those who attend these schools. * Between 1989 and 1995, there was an increase in the percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who avoided one or more places at school--from 5 percent in 1989 to 9 percent in 1995 (figure 13.1 and table 13.1). This percentage represented 2.1 million students in 1995 who reported avoiding some areas at school for fear of their own safety. * The percentage of black students avoiding specific areas at school rose from 7 percent in 1989 to 12 percent in 1995, and for Hispanic students it rose from 7 percent in 1989 to 13 percent in 1995 (figure 13.1 and table 13.1). The percentage of white students avoiding areas at school rose from 5 percent to 7 percent. * In suburban areas in 1989, there were no significant differences in the percentages of white, black, and Hispanic students who avoided one or more places at school (figure 13.2 and table 13.1). However, in 1995, black and Hispanic students in suburban areas were much more likely than suburban white students to stay away from some places at school. 14. Students' reports of gangs at school Gangs are organized groups that are often involved in drugs, weapons trafficking, and criminal activities. The presence of gangs in school can be very disruptive to the school environment. Gangs may not only create fear among students but also increase the level of violence in school. The percentage of students who report the presence of street gangs in their schools indicates the existence and severity of the gang problem in schools. * Between 1989 and 1995, the percentage of students who reported that street gangs were present at their schools increased (figure 14.1 and table 14.1). In 1989, 15 percent of students reported gangs being present in their schools. By 1995, this percentage had risen to 28 percent. * Gangs were more likely to exist in public schools than in private schools (figure 14.1 and table 14.1). In 1989, 17 percent of students in public schools reported that street gangs were present in their schools compared with 4 percent in private schools. Similar results were reported in 1995. However, between these two years, the percentage of public school students reporting that gangs were present in their schools almost doubled (from 17 percent in 1989 to 31 percent in 1995) as has the percentage of private school students reporting gang presence (from 4 percent to 7 percent). * In 1995, urban students were more likely to report that there were street gangs at their schools (41 percent) than were suburban students (26 percent) or rural students (20 percent) (figure 14.2 and table 14.1). Similar results occurred in 1989. Between 1989 and 1995, reports of gang presence increased in all three categories of students' place of residence. * In both years, black students were more likely than white students to report the existence of street gangs in their schools, and Hispanic students were more likely than either white or black students to do so (table 14.1). Between 1989 and 1995, reports of gang presence increased for whites, blacks, and Hispanics. 15. Public school principals' reports of discipline problems at school Discipline problems in a school may contribute to an overall climate in which violence may occur. Schools that suffer from student drug or alcohol use, racial tensions, or verbal and physical abuse of teachers may be filled with pressures that result in school violence. * During the 1996-97 school year, 16 percent of all public school principals reported that one or more discipline issues had been a serious problem in their school4 (figure 15.1 and table 15.1). About the same percentage of principals in city, urban fringe, town, and rural settings reported one or more serious discipline problems. * Public elementary schools were the least likely to report any serious discipline issues,followed by middle schools and then high schools (figure 15.1 and table 15.1). About 8 percent of elementary school principals reported one or more of these issues as a serious problem, while 18 percent of principals in middle schools and 37 percent of those in high schools did so. * While overall there were no significant differences in reported serious problems by urbanicity, a greater percentage of principals in public city high schools than in rural high schools reported having serious discipline problems--47 percent compared with 28 percent (figure 15.1 and table 15.1). 16. Prevalence of 12th graders using alcohol at school and away from school The presence of alcohol on school grounds, while a crime in itself, may lead to other crimes and misbehavior. The consumption of alcohol may lead to a school environment that is harmful to students, teachers, and staff. * Although 12th graders were less likely to use alcohol at school than at home or at parties, in 1996 about 8 percent of 12th graders had consumed alcohol at school (figure 16.1 and table 16.1). The percentage of 12th graders who had used alcohol at school in the past 12 months declined over the last two decades--falling from 12 percent in 1976 to 8 percent in 1996. * For both males and females, rates of drinking alcohol at school fell between 1976 and 1996 (figure 16.2 and table 16.1). During this period, sharply among males than among females. However, in 1996, male 12th graders were more likely than their female counterparts to have had at least one drink at school in the past year. 17. Prevalence of 12th graders using other drugs at school and away from school The presence of other drugs at school also causes disruptions in the learning environment. The consumption of these substances leads to a school environment that is harmful to students, teachers, and school administrators. * The percentage of 12th graders who had taken various illegal drugs at school in the previous 12 months declined between 1976 and 1992. Marijuana was the illegal drug (other than alcohol) that was most likely to be used at school (figure 17.1 and table 17.1). * Use of drugs other than marijuana and stimulants is relatively low at school. With the exception of marijuana, stimulants were used more often than other illegal drugs in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but 12th graders in the 1990s were about as likely to use stimulants at school as other illegal drugs (figure 17.2 and table 17.1). * Between 1976 and 1992, marijuana use and use of stimulants at school declined among 12th graders (figures 17.1 and 17.2 and table 17.1). In the case of marijuana, use fell from 21 percent in 1976 to 5 percent in 1992. * Since 1992, use of marijuana and stimulants at school has increased among 12th graders (figures 17.1 and 17.2 and table 17.1). In 1997, about 10 percent had used marijuana at school in the past 12 months, while about 4 percent had used stimulants. * Over the last two decades, marijuana use by 12th graders at parties has been consistently higher than at school (figure 17.1 and tables 17.1 and 17.2). Since the late 1980s, marijuana use at home has also been higher than at school. The increase in marijuana use in the 1990s at home and at parties was also more severe than the increase for marijuana use at school. * Supplemental Tables ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1.1a-Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 1992 1993 1994 Student Serious Serious Serious characteristics Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total 3,554,000 2,283,600 1,270,300 287,400 4,028,600 2,388,100 1,640,500 349,000 3,992,900 2,443,400 1,549,500 362,800 Sex Male 2,178,300 1,292,200 886,200 216,800 2,308,400 1,289,900 1,018,500 213,200 2,234,500 1,304,300 930,200 232,800 Female 1,375,700 91,500 384,200 70,600 1,720,200 1,098,200 622,000 135,700 1,758,300 1,139,100 619,300 130,000 Age 12--14 1,955,600 1,150,400 805,200 204,200 2,273,500 1,265,800 1,007,700 209,400 2,259,900 1,289,500 970,500 227,900 15--18 1,598,400 1,133,200 465,200 83,200 1,755,100 1,122,300 632,800 139,600 1,733,000 1,153,900 579,100 134,900 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 2,678,300 1,725,500 952,800 182,000 3,017,300 1,820,600 1,196,700 213,700 2,848,100 1,802,800 1,045,300 198,900 Black, non-Hispanic 461,000 271,500 189,500 75,700 544,600 307,400 237,200 97,300 585,700 336,200 249,600 65,500 Hispanic 303,000 191,300 111,700 29,700 363,800 195,900 168,000 27,300 449,100 234,000 215,100 83,500 Other, non-Hispanic 111,600 95,300 16,300 -- 102,900 64,200 38,700 10,600 110,000 70,400 39,600 14,800 Urbanicity Urban 895,600 575,200 320,500 101,100 1,029,700 561,300 468,500 112,700 1,036,900 547,900 489,000 156,400 Suburban 1,902,900 1,247,000 655,900 143,000 2,151,800 1,340,700 811,100 157,800 2,128,500 1,333,400 795,000 174,800 Rural 755,500 461,500 294,000 43,300 847,000 486,200 360,900 78,400 827,500 562,000 265,500 31,700 Household income Less than $7,500 261,200 135,700 125,500 27,400 280,000 105,900 174,100 27,900 206,600 99,500 107,100 46,000 $7,500--14,999 348,300 200,100 148,200 42,600 359,100 209,700 149,400 41,100 343,200 216,700 126,500 18,100 $15,000--24,999 430,800 199,700 231,200 64,800 512,700 270,800 241,900 36,000 512,200 314,500 197,600 48,800 $25,000--34,999 530,300 334,700 195,600 31,200 723,000 473,200 249,800 43,600 600,000 320,100 279,900 62,300 $35,000--49,999 786,500 570,300 216,200 38,600 720,400 420,500 299,900 73,800 786,900 488,400 298,500 58,800 $50,000--74,999 529,800 410,000 119,800 12,000 674,100 432,900 241,200 51,500 703,700 439,500 264,200 55,600 $75,000 or more 395,500 255,600 140,000 35,400 430,300 312,700 117,500 21,900 453,600 317,300 136,300 22,400 --No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some students with these characteristics had a 1/Serious violent crimes are included in violent crimes. 2/Estimate based on fewer than 10 cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assa details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1992 to 1994. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1.1b-Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 1995 1996 Serious Serious Student characteristics Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total 3,667,000 2,213,900 1,453,200 273,500 3,347,700 2,075,600 1,272,100 255,000 Sex Male 2,106,600 1,235,100 871,400 180,900 1,932,800 1,067,800 865,000 175,200 Female 1,560,400 978,700 581,700 92,600 1,414,900 1,007,800 407,100 79,800 Age 12-14 2,191,300 1,227,400 964,000 178,900 1,872,600 1,093,600 779,100 118,900 15-18 1,475,700 986,500 489,200 94,600 1,475,100 982,000 493,100 136,200 Race/ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 2,648,200 1,632,900 1,015,300 133,500 2,378,700 1,488,900 889,800 130,400 Black, non-Hispanic 511,000 266,700 244,300 86,600 449,000 299,700 149,300 52,000 Hispanic 391,800 228,500 163,300 41,600 395,100 205,400 189,700 60,500 Other, non-Hispanic 116,000 85,800 30,300 11,900 124,900 81,600 43,300 12,100 Urbanicity Urban 960,600 554,000 406,600 124,800 949,800 553,000 396,700 119,100 Suburban 1,983,900 1,211,100 772,700 109,300 1,810,000 1,103,600 706,400 111,700 Rural 722,500 448,700 273,900 39,500 587,900 418,900 168,900 24,200 Household income Less than $7,500 159,100 52,700 106,400 43,200 136,800 87,900 48,900 13,500 $7,500-14,999 317,300 169,000 148,400 44,100 263,600 149,400 114,200 29,200 $15,000-24,999 469,200 277,400 191,800 34,100 467,500 244,300 223,100 58,600 $25,000-34,999 577,900 330,200 247,700 51,500 465,700 271,500 194,200 35,600 $35,000-49,999 699,900 439,100 260,800 37,400 644,600 394,900 249,700 52,000 $50,000-74,999 648,700 426,500 222,100 39,300 633,300 426,400 206,900 37,400 $75,000 or more 516,100 345,500 170,600 13,600 451,300 332,800 118,500 16,000 1/Serious violent crimes are included in violent crimes. 2/Estimate based on fewer than 10 cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1995 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1.2a-Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 1992 1993 1994 Serious Student Serious Serious characteristics Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total 150 96 54 12 164 97 67 14 158 96 61 14 Sex Male 178 106 72 18 182 102 80 17 172 100 71 18 Female 119 86 33 6 145 92 52 11 143 93 50 11 Age 12--14 181 106 75 19 203 113 90 19 197 112 85 20 15--18 124 88 36 6 131 84 47 10 125 83 42 10 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 166 107 59 11 181 109 72 13 167 105 61 12 Black, non-Hispanic 118 70 49 19 137 77 60 25 153 85 68 21 Hispanic 115 72 42 11 128 69 59 10 142 74 68 26 Other, non-Hispanic 129 110 19 * 112 70 42 12 114 73 41 15 Urbanicity Urban 143 92 51 16 155 84 70 17 152 80 72 23 Suburban 163 107 56 12 185 115 70 14 177 111 66 15 Rural 130 80 51 7 135 78 58 13 128 87 41 5 Household income Less than $7,500 129 67 62 14 136 51 84 13 108 52 56 24 $7,500--14,999 115 66 49 14 130 76 54 15 127 80 47 7 $15,000--24,999 129 60 69 19 144 76 68 10 139 85 54 13 $25,000--34,999 148 94 55 9 197 129 68 12 170 91 79 18 $35,000--49,999 185 134 51 9 169 99 70 17 174 108 66 13 $50,000--74,999 156 120 35 4 180 115 64 14 175 109 66 14 $75,000 or more 213 138 75 19 205 149 56 10 185 130 56 9 *No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some students with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn 1/Serious violent crimes are included in violent crimes. 2/Estimate based on fewer than 10 cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. Population sizes are 23,740,295 students ages 12 through 18 in 1992, 24,557,779 in 1993, and 25,326,989 in 1994. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1992 to 1994. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1.2b-Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring at school or going to or from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 1995 1996 Serious Serious Student characteristics Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total 143 86 57 11 128 79 49 10 Sex Male 159 93 66 14 144 80 64 13 Female 125 78 47 7 111 79 32 6 Age 12-14 188 105 83 15 161 94 67 10 15-18 105 70 35 7 102 68 34 9 Race-ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 154 95 59 8 137 85 51 7 Black, non-Hispanic 127 66 61 21 114 76 38 13 Hispanic 118 69 49 13 112 58 54 17 Other, non-Hispanic 108 80 28 11 116 76 40 11 Urbanicity Urban 136 79 58 18 131 77 55 16 Suburban 159 97 62 9 138 84 54 9 Rural 117 73 44 6 101 72 29 4 Household income Less than $7,500 91 30 61 25 86 55 31 8 $7,500-14,999 113 60 53 16 95 54 41 11 $15,000-24,999 139 82 57 10 132 69 63 17 $25,000-34,999 164 94 70 15 138 80 57 11 $35,000-49,999 146 92 55 8 141 86 55 11 $50,000-74,999 157 104 54 10 147 99 48 9 $75,000 or more 180 121 60 5 144 106 38 5 1/Serious violent crimes are included in violent crimes. 2/Estimate based on fewer than 10 cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes include serious violent crime and simple assault. Population sizes are 25,715,220 students ages 12 through 18 in 1995 and 26,151,364 in 1996. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1995 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1.3a-Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 1992 1993 1994 Student Serious Serious Serious characteristics Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total 3,303,900 1,621,300 1,682,600 750,200 3,434,200 1,699,300 1,734,900 854,500 3,262,100 1,523,700 1,738,400 832,700 Sex Male 1,978,300 1,007,700 970,600 433,300 2,017,100 1,004,200 1,012,800 532,800 1,923,300 866,200 1,057,000 522,800 Female 1,325,600 613,600 712,000 316,900 1,417,200 695,100 722,100 321,700 1,338,800 657,400 681,400 309,900 Age 12--14 1,256,800 688,900 567,800 249,700 1,243,200 655,800 587,400 285,500 1,136,900 574,200 562,700 231,400 15--18 2,047,100 932,400 1,114,700 500,500 2,191,000 1,043,500 1,147,500 569,000 2,125,200 949,500 1,175,700 601,300 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 2,326,700 1,170,700 1,156,000 457,100 2,349,200 1,146,000 1,203,200 505,100 2,232,700 1,054,300 1,178,400 490,000 Black, non-Hispanic 461,300 227,100 234,200 139,000 607,200 304,200 303,000 198,400 506,700 229,900 276,800 175,900 Hispanic 383,400 163,900 219,500 113,200 380,600 187,800 192,900 129,300 423,300 191,800 231,500 141,500 Other, non-Hispanic 132,400 59,600 72,800 40,900 97,100 61,300 35,800 21,700 99,400 47,600 51,700 25,300 Urbanicity Urban 1,128,300 536,400 591,900 265,800 1,256,000 592,100 663,900 359,200 1,095,100 489,500 605,600 320,200 Suburban 1,671,100 848,200 822,900 360,100 1,519,800 776,100 743,700 364,700 1,594,300 729,700 864,600 396,000 Rural 504,500 236,800 267,700 124,300 658,400 331,200 327,200 130,700 572,700 304,400 268,200 116,500 Household income Less than $7,500 379,500 192,900 186,600 75,200 423,500 180,300 243,300 107,100 354,400 157,800 196,600 108,600 $7,500--14,999 491,500 197,500 294,000 168,600 494,700 261,600 233,200 136,900 389,900 170,800 219,200 116,500 $15,000--24,999 592,300 246,500 345,800 143,500 563,600 257,100 306,500 152,700 430,100 181,000 249,100 110,800 $25,000--34,999 501,400 217,400 284,000 121,600 511,500 261,800 249,800 129,800 487,200 226,000 261,200 122,300 $35,000--49,999 479,800 242,600 237,200 80,200 549,500 253,600 295,900 144,700 494,200 233,500 260,700 120,900 $50,000--74,999 380,800 228,800 152,000 60,000 380,200 217,000 163,200 76,200 483,500 248,700 234,700 105,900 $75,000 or more 253,800 158,400 95,400 34,600 226,400 127,200 99,300 38,100 292,700 156,200 136,500 60,000 1/Serious violent crimes are included in violent crimes. 2/Estimate based on fewer than 10 cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. Due to rounding or mission cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1992 to 1994. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1.3b-Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 1995 1996 Serious Serious Student characteristics Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total 3,069,200 1,565,800 1,503,500 601,500 3,065,100 1,634,500 1,430,600 670,600 Sex Male 1,791,800 883,000 908,800 377,000 1,890,300 1,004,000 886,400 421,200 Female 1,277,400 682,700 594,700 224,400 1,174,800 630,500 544,300 249,300 Age 12--14 1,045,100 556,100 489,000 180,800 1,058,100 600,800 457,200 209,100 15--18 2,024,100 1,009,700 1,014,500 420,700 2,007,000 1,033,600 973,400 461,400 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 2,074,900 1,094,200 980,600 374,300 2,068,000 1,097,500 970,500 394,100 Black, non-Hispanic 528,100 262,700 265,500 105,900 528,900 271,400 257,500 157,400 Hispanic 352,200 144,000 208,200 97,900 354,100 191,500 162,600 94,200 Other, non-Hispanic 114,000 64,800 49,200 23,400 114,100 74,100 39,900 24,800 Urbanicity Urban 1,057,300 518,000 539,400 229,900 995,900 494,800 501,200 274,800 Suburban 1,474,700 780,800 693,900 279,400 1,490,200 809,400 680,700 294,600 Rural 537,200 267,000 270,300 92,100 579,000 330,300 248,700 101,100 Household income Less than $7,500 329,100 162,000 167,100 68,500 284,800 134,500 150,300 103,000 $7,500--14,999 428,100 191,400 236,700 97,100 422,400 213,300 209,100 127,200 $15,000--24,999 491,400 289,100 202,300 86,100 468,600 218,800 249,800 109,800 $25,000--34,999 414,100 203,700 210,400 78,400 377,600 215,900 161,700 68,100 $35,000--49,999 490,000 242,700 247,300 104,200 468,500 252,900 215,600 69,500 $50,000--74,999 444,200 225,000 219,100 96,400 402,300 250,100 152,300 72,300 $75,000 or more 291,400 140,000 151,400 38,300 329,000 222,400 106,500 29,300 1/Serious violent crimes are included in violent crimes. 2/Estimate based on fewer than 10 cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1995 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1.4a-Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1992 to 1994 1992 1993 1994 Serious Serious Serious Student characteristics Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total 139 68 71 32 140 69 71 35 129 60 69 33 Sex Male 162 82 79 35 159 79 80 42 148 66 81 40 Female 115 53 62 28 119 58 61 27 109 53 55 25 Age 12-14 116 64 53 23 111 59 53 26 99 50 49 20 15-18 158 72 86 39 164 78 86 43 153 68 85 43 Race-ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 144 72 72 28 141 69 72 30 131 62 69 29 Black, non-Hispanic 118 58 60 36 153 77 76 50 129 58 70 45 Hispanic 145 62 83 43 134 66 68 46 134 61 73 45 Other, non-Hispanic 153 69 84 47 106 67 39 24 103 49 54 26 Urbanicity Urban 181 86 95 43 189 89 100 54 160 72 89 47 Suburban 143 73 70 31 130 67 64 31 132 61 72 33 Rural 87 41 46 21 105 53 52 21 89 47 42 18 Household income Less than $7,500 187 95 92 37 205 87 118 52 185 82 102 57 $7,500--14,999 162 65 97 56 180 95 85 50 144 63 81 43 $15,000--24,999 178 74 104 43 158 72 86 43 117 49 68 30 $25,000--34,999 140 61 79 34 140 71 68 35 138 64 74 35 $35,000--49,999 113 57 56 19 129 59 69 34 110 52 58 27 $50,000--74,999 112 67 45 18 101 58 43 20 120 62 58 26 $75,000 or more 137 85 51 19 108 60 47 18 120 64 56 25 1/Serious violent crimes are included in violent crimes. 2/Estimate based on fewer than 10 cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. Popopulation sizes are 23,740,295 students ages 12 through 18 in 1992, 24,557,779 in 1993, and 25,326,989 in 1994. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1992 to 1994. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1.4b-Number of nonfatal crimes against students ages 12 through 18 occurring away from school per 1,000 students, by type of crime and selected student characteristics: 1995 to 1996 1995 1996 Serious Serious Student characteristics Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total Theft Violent violent/1 Total 119 61 58 23 117 63 55 26 Sex Male 135 67 69 28 141 75 66 31 Female 102 55 48 18 92 50 43 20 Age 12--14 90 48 42 16 91 52 39 18 15--18 144 72 72 30 138 71 67 32 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 121 64 57 22 119 63 56 23 Black, non-Hispanic 131 65 66 26 134 69 65 40 Hispanic 106 43 63 30 101 54 46 27 Other, non-Hispanic 106 60 46 22 106 69 37 23 Urbanicity Urban 150 74 77 33 138 68 69 38 Suburban 118 63 56 22 114 62 52 23 Rural 87 43 44 15 99 57 43 17 Household income Less than $7,500 189 93 96 39 179 85 94 65 $7,500--14,999 152 68 84 35 153 77 76 46 $15,000--24,999 146 86 60 26 132 62 70 31 $25,000--34,999 118 58 60 22 112 64 48 20 $35,000--49,999 103 51 52 22 102 55 47 15 $50,000--74,999 108 55 53 23 93 58 35 17 $75,000 or more 102 49 53 13 105 71 34 9 1/Serious violent crimes are included in violent crimes. 2/Estimate based on fewer than 10 cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. Population sizes are 25,715,220 students ages 12 through 18 in 1995 and 26,151,364 in 1996. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1995 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 2.1-Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization, grade level, and school control: 1989 and 1995 1989 1995 Type of victimization Type of victimization School characteristics Any/1 Violent/2 Property/3 Any/1 Violent/2 Property/3 Total 14.5 3.4 12.2 14.6 4.2 11.6 Grade level Grade 6 17.9 5.7 14.8 18.0 6.7 13.3 Grade 7 18.9 5.4 15.5 20.4 6.6 16.0 Grade 8 16.1 4.0 13.1 17.1 4.7 13.9 Grade 9 17.1 3.6 14.7 15.5 4.6 12.1 Grade 10 13.9 2.5 11.9 12.9 3.3 10.7 Grade 11 10.5 2.2 8.8 9.5 2.3 7.5 Grade 12 8.3 1.2 7.6 8.7 1.7 7.5 Other 13.5 7.0 10.0 10.3 4.6 6.4 School control Public 14.7 3.5 12.3 14.8 4.4 11.7 Private 12.8 2.9 10.8 12.4 2.3 10.7 Not ascertained 11.8 3.1 9.6 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. 1/Any victimization is a combination of reported violent and property victimization. If the student reported an incident of either, he or she is as having experienced any vicitimization. If the respondent reported having experienced both, he or she is only counted once under "Any victimization." 2/Violent victimization includes physical attacks or taking property from the student directly by force, weapons, or threats. 3/Property victimization includes theft of property from a student's desk, locker, or other locations. NOTE: "At school" means in the school building, on the school grounds, or on a school bus. Population sizes are 21,554,000 students ages 12 through 19 in 1989 and 23,933,000 in 1995. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 1989 and 1995. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 3.1-Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had injured them at school during the past 12 months, by use of a weapon and sex: 1976 to 1996 With a weapon On purpose, without a weapon Year Total Male Female Total Male Female 1976 5.5 8.9 2.5 13.3 16.9 10.1 1977 4.8 8.0 1.7 11.1 12.8 9.5 1978 4.4 7.0 2.3 12.1 14.5 10.2 1979 4.6 7.4 2.1 12.1 15.6 8.7 1980 4.4 6.9 2.1 11.2 14.3 8.4 1981 6.4 9.4 3.5 14.3 18.2 10.6 1982 4.5 6.8 2.3 12.3 15.6 9.0 1983 4.6 6.9 2.5 13.7 16.7 11.1 1984 3.9 6.6 1.5 12.2 15.5 9.2 1985 5.7 9.0 2.7 14.0 18.6 9.9 1986 5.2 8.7 2.2 13.6 17.0 10.6 1987 4.6 7.8 1.8 15.3 18.9 12.1 1988 4.6 7.7 1.8 13.4 16.7 10.4 1989 5.5 7.9 3.3 14.0 17.0 11.3 1990 5.9 9.0 2.8 13.7 16.4 11.1 1991 5.9 8.4 3.5 14.5 16.8 12.3 1992 5.1 8.0 1.8 12.8 15.6 9.8 1993 4.3 6.8 2.0 11.2 13.9 8.8 1994 4.8 7.9 1.7 11.8 15.1 8.2 1995 4.9 7.5 2.3 11.6 15.2 8.2 1996 4.8 6.7 3.1 11.7 12.9 10.7 NOTE: Examples of weapons are knives, guns, and clubs. "At school" means inside or outside the school building or on a school bus. Population sizes are not available. Response rates for this survey do not meet NCES standards. See table B1 for details. SOURCE: University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future Study, 1976 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 3.2-Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had threatened to injure, but had not injured, them at school during the past 12 months, by use of a weapon and sex: 1976 to 1996 Threatened with a weapon Threatened by unarmed person Year Total Male Female Total Male Female 1976 12.4 18.2 7.0 21.1 28.9 13.9 1977 12.1 17.7 6.9 20.8 27.5 14.6 1978 11.3 16.8 6.7 19.8 26.9 14.1 1979 11.6 17.1 6.8 20.1 28.1 13.1 1980 10.7 16.4 5.7 19.3 27.6 11.9 1981 14.8 20.5 9.3 23.5 32.2 15.0 1982 11.9 16.0 7.7 21.4 28.3 14.5 1983 12.5 17.3 8.1 24.2 31.3 17.7 1984 12.1 17.7 7.0 22.9 31.4 15.2 1985 13.3 19.6 7.7 24.2 32.4 17.0 1986 12.9 20.2 6.5 24.7 33.3 17.3 1987 11.9 17.6 7.0 24.3 31.6 17.9 1988 12.4 18.7 6.6 23.7 31.5 16.5 1989 13.3 18.7 8.4 24.0 31.2 17.6 1990 13.0 18.0 8.2 24.8 31.6 18.3 1991 15.8 20.9 10.7 25.5 31.5 19.6 1992 13.7 20.7 7.1 24.3 30.9 18.1 1993 15.1 21.5 9.5 23.1 29.9 17.0 1994 15.0 22.3 8.3 23.5 31.0 16.4 1995 13.5 20.0 7.7 23.8 31.2 17.2 1996 13.3 17.5 9.5 21.6 26.5 17.2 NOTE: Examples of weapons are knives, guns, and clubs. "At school" means inside or outside the school building or on a school bus. Population sizes are not available Response rates for this survey do not meet NCES standards. See table B1 for details. SOURCE: University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future Study, 1976 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 4.1-Percentage and number of students in grades 6 to 12 who reported being bullied at school during the current school year, by urbanicity and selected student characteristics: 1993 Percent Number Student characteristics Total Urban Suburban Rural Total Urban Suburban Rural Total 8.2 7.7 9.7 8.6 1,979,100 1,088,700 347,400 543,100 Sex Male 9.5 9.4 11.1 8.9 1,144,600 656,100 206,500 282,000 Female 6.9 6.1 8.2 8.2 834,500 432,500 140,900 261,100 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 8.7 8.5 9.5 8.6 1,467,300 730,800 263,200 473,200 Black, non-Hispanic 7.3 6.5 10.4 9.8 279,900 189,400 37,500 53,000 Hispanic 6.1 5.9 9.1 3.5 161,400 122,200 31,400 7,800 Other, non-Hispanic 9.3 8.5 -- -- 70,500 46,200 -- -- Grade level Grade 6 13.4 13.6 15.2 11.9 509,600 306,100 86,400 117,100 Grade 7 11.1 12.1 9.2 9.9 407,900 258,800 51,400 97,800 Grade 8 8.5 8.5 7.4 9.3 299,800 182,500 36,200 81,000 Grade 9 8.1 4.9 15.2 10.6 283,600 97,500 83,600 102,500 Grade 10 8.1 6.9 10.9 9.0 269,600 133,400 58,200 78,000 Grade 11 3.9 3.7 5.2 3.5 120,900 69,700 24,100 27,200 Grade 12 2.9 2.3 1.8 4.4 87,700 40,800 7,500 39,500 Region Northeast 8.6 9.7 5.4 7.5 378,900 262,900 23,600 92,400 South 8.8 8.6 9.3 8.9 753,300 392,000 112,300 249,000 Midwest 7.9 7.5 9.6 7.5 466,900 237,200 103,600 126,100 West 7.3 5.3 12.6 11.9 380,100 196,600 107,900 75,600 --Fewer than 30 sample cases. NOTE: Bullying was described as students picking on others a lot or making other students do things like give them money. "At school" means in school, at school activities during the day, or on the way to or from school. Population size is 24,060,000 students in grades 6 to 12. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Household Education Survey, 1993. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 5.1-Percentage of 12th graders who reported that something of theirs had been stolen at school during the past 12 month 1976 to 1996 Year Total Male Female 1976 38.3 44.9 32.2 1977 39.6 45.0 34.5 1978 37.6 42.1 33.9 1979 33.6 38.2 29.5 1980 34.4 37.7 31.6 1981 40.0 44.2 35.8 1982 40.0 44.2 35.8 1983 38.8 42.5 35.5 1984 38.0 41.8 34.6 1985 38.8 40.7 37.2 1986 40.3 44.7 36.4 1987 42.0 44.9 39.5 1988 42.2 45.8 39.0 1989 40.7 42.7 38.8 1990 41.3 47.3 35.6 1991 41.4 46.3 36.4 1992 37.1 41.6 32.9 1993 41.5 42.2 40.9 1994 39.6 44.2 35.3 1995 40.4 44.2 36.9 1996 40.7 41.6 39.9 NOTE: "At school" means inside or outside the school building or on a school bus. Population sizes are not available. Response rates for this survey do not meet NCES standards. See table B1 for details. SOURCE: University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future Study, 1976 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 5.2-Percentage of 12th graders who reported that someone had deliberately damaged their property at school during the past 12 months, by sex: 1976 to 1996 Year Total Male Female 1976 25.7 33.8 18.3 1977 24.8 33.9 16.2 1978 25.0 32.0 19.3 1979 24.4 33.0 16.9 1980 24.9 32.5 18.1 1981 30.4 40.1 21.0 1982 25.8 32.5 19.0 1983 25.4 32.9 18.5 1984 24.2 31.4 17.7 1985 26.9 34.9 19.8 1986 25.8 31.2 21.0 1987 26.4 31.1 22.3 1988 27.3 34.0 21.2 1989 26.4 31.9 21.4 1990 29.4 33.6 25.4 1991 27.8 33.8 21.8 1992 26.2 33.5 19.1 1993 25.9 29.7 22.6 1994 26.9 33.4 20.4 1995 27.6 33.6 22.8 1996 26.0 32.3 20.3 NOTE: "At school" means inside or outside the school building or on a school bus. Population sizes are not available. Response rates for this survey do not meet NCES standards. See table B1 for details. SOURCE: University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future Study, 1976 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 6.1-Percentage of public schools reporting one or more criminal incidents to police, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Less serious violent or nonviolent incidents Any incidents Serious violent incidents and no serious violent incidents Urban Urban Urban School Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural characteristics Total 56.7 59.3 58.4 63.2 46.9 10.1 16.8 11.2 5.4 7.8 46.5 42.4 46.7 57.8 39.2 Instructional level Elementary school 45.1 46.9 47.0 52.6 34.2 4.2 6.1 3.3 2.0 5.1 40.8 40.8 43.2 50.6 29.1 Middle school 74.1 86.7 78.8 70.0 62.0 18.7 35.8 21.7 7.0 15.0 55.4 50.9 57.1 63.0 47.0 High school 76.9 88.8 84.0 84.2 64.1 20.6 48.0 33.0 12.7 9.4 55.9 39.9 49.4 71.5 54.7 Region Northeast 51.6 51.9 49.3 53.7 52.5 6.8 9.5 6.9 2.6 11.0 44.7 42.2 42.4 51.2 41.5 Southeast 58.8 55.1 65.5 64.8 51.1 9.2 17.3 13.2 4.9 4.9 49.6 37.8 52.3 59.9 46.2 Central 50.8 52.5 51.7 59.9 43.6 11.1 16.4 12.4 6.4 10.2 39.7 36.1 39.3 53.4 33.5 West 64.3 69.8 69.9 72.5 45.8 11.9 20.2 13.3 7.2 5.7 51.9 49.5 54.4 65.3 40.0 School enrollment Less than 300 37.8 -- -- 44.9 38.0 3.9 -- -- 8.8 2.5 33.8 -- -- 36.1 35.5 300--999 59.6 54.2 59.2 67.3 56.8 9.3 12.5 9.0 3.2 13.9 50.2 41.7 49.5 64.1 42.9 1,000 or more 89.1 93.1 86.7 86.5 -- 32.9 44.2 29.8 15.9 -- 56.0 48.1 56.9 70.6 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 46.7 -- 47.2 53.9 40.8 5.8 -- 5.9 3.3 7.3 40.9 -- 41.3 50.5 33.5 5--19 percent 57.7 52.0 62.9 64.0 45.0 10.9 14.5 11.3 10.6 6.8 46.6 37.4 51.1 53.5 38.1 20--49 percent 58.1 54.7 58.5 66.7 53.3 11.1 19.1 10.1 5.0 8.0 47.0 35.6 48.4 61.7 45.3 50 percent or more 68.3 64.8 62.3 81.5 74.9 14.7 17.6 17.8 4.4 11.6 53.1 47.1 42.6 77.1 63.3 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20% 54.4 50.6 57.3 64.2 41.2 8.6 12.2 9.9 7.1 5.6 45.8 38.2 47.4 57.1 35.7 21--34 percent 53.2 56.0 65.5 57.2 39.5 11.7 18.4 13.3 7.1 11.6 41.6 37.5 52.2 50.2 27.9 35--49 percent 59.4 76.1 53.3 63.1 52.5 11.6 34.2 8.6 3.0 8.6 47.8 41.5 44.7 60.1 43.9 50--74 percent 58.8 60.8 54.7 66.6 52.0 8.9 22.9 10.3 2.0 2.3 49.5 37.9 42.4 64.6 49.8 75 percent or more 59.2 58.5 -- -- -- 10.2 8.4 -- -- -- 49.0 50.2 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include murder, rape or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious violent or nonviolent crimes include physical attack or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, and vandalism. Any incidents refer to any of the crimes listed. Not included are any crimes not listed here and any crimes not reported to police. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Population size is 78,000 public schools. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 6.2-Number of public schools reporting one or more criminal incidents to police, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Less serious violent or nonviolent incidents Any incidents Serious violent incidents and no serious violent incidents Urban Urban Urban School Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural characteristics Total 44,000 10,600 11,000 12,400 9,900 7,900 3,000 2,100 1,100 1,600 36,100 7,600 8,900 11,400 8,300 Instructional level Elementary school 21,600 5,900 5,900 5,800 4,100 2,000 800 400 200 600 19,600 5,100 5,500 5,600 3,500 Middle school 10,400 2,600 2,800 3,100 1,900 2,600 1,100 800 300 500 7,800 1,600 2,000 2,800 1,400 High school 12,000 2,200 2,300 3,500 4,000 3,200 1,200 900 500 600 8,700 1,000 1,400 3,000 3,400 Region Northeast 7,800 1,500 2,700 2,300 1,200 1,000 300 400 100 300 6,700 1,300 2,300 2,200 900 Southeast 10,000 2,100 2,200 3,200 2,500 1,600 600 400 200 200 8,400 1,400 1,700 3,000 2,300 Central 11,400 2,500 2,500 3,000 3,500 2,500 800 600 300 800 8,900 1,700 1,900 2,700 2,700 West 14,800 4,600 3,600 3,900 2,700 2,800 1,300 700 400 300 12,000 3,300 2,900 3,500 2,400 School enrollment Less than 300 7,700 -- -- 2,100 4,400 800 -- -- 400 300 6,900 -- -- 1,700 4,100 300--999 29,800 7,200 8,200 9,200 5,200 4,600 1,700 1,300 400 1,300 25,100 5,600 6,900 8,700 3,900 1,000 or more 6,600 2,800 2,400 1,100 -- 2,400 1,300 800 200 -- 4,100 1,400 1,500 900 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 11,300 -- 1,800 4,200 4,800 1,400 -- 200 300 900 9,900 -- 1,500 4,000 4,000 5--19 percent 10,100 1,800 3,900 3,000 1,400 1,900 500 700 500 200 8,200 1,300 3,200 2,500 1,200 20--49 percent 10,300 2,700 3,100 2,500 2,000 2,000 900 500 200 300 8,300 1,700 2,600 2,300 1,700 50 percent or more 11,900 5,600 2,300 2,300 1,600 2,600 1,500 700 100 300 9,300 4,100 1,600 2,200 1,400 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 10,000 1,400 4,000 3,000 1,700 1,600 300 700 300 200 8,500 1,000 3,300 2,600 1,500 21--34 percent 9,200 1,500 2,600 2,900 2,200 2,000 500 500 400 700 7,200 1,000 2,100 2,600 1,600 35--49 percent 7,700 1,700 1,400 2,100 2,500 1,500 800 200 100 400 6,200 900 1,100 2,000 2,100 50--74 percent 9,400 2,400 1,700 3,000 2,300 1,400 900 300 100 100 7,900 1,500 1,400 2,900 2,200 75 percent or more 7,400 3,700 -- -- -- 1,300 500 -- -- -- 6,100 3,200 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include murder, rape or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack orfight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious violent or nonviolent crimes include physical attack or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, and vandalism. Any incidents refer to any of the crimes listed. Not included are any crimes not listed here and any crimes not reported to police. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Population size 78,000 public schools. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 6.3-Number of criminal incidents occurring in public schools reported to police, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected, school characteristics: 1996-97 Less serious violent or nonviolent incidents Any incidents Serious violent incidents and no serious violent incidents School Urban Urban Urban characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 424,500 146,700 110,600 103,800 63,400 22,600 11,900 4,700 2,800 3,100 401,900 134,800 105,900 101,000 60,200 Instructional level Elementary school 78,700 19,000 25,900 22,200 11,600 2,900 1,400 400 200 900 75,800 17,600 25,500 22,000 10,800 Middle school 136,400 61,000 32,600 29,800 13,000 7,800 5,200 1,400 400 800 128,600 55,800 31,200 29,400 12,200 High school 209,400 66,800 52,000 51,900 38,700 11,900 5,300 2,900 2,200 1,500 197,500 61,500 49,200 49,700 37,200 Region Northeast 67,400 19,000 23,500 17,500 7,400 3,200 1,800 700 400 500 64,200 17,300 22,800 17,200 6,900 Southeast 95,400 24,400 34,600 20,700 15,700 4,100 1,600 1,600 300 600 91,300 22,800 32,900 20,400 15,200 Central 95,000 34,800 16,400 21,800 21,900 7,800 4,700 1,000 500 1,700 87,200 30,200 15,400 21,300 20,200 West 166,700 68,500 36,100 43,800 18,300 7,500 3,900 1,400 1,700 400 159,200 64,600 34,600 42,100 17,900 School enrollment Less than 300 40,000 -- -- 14,800 21,700 2,300 -- -- 1,600 600 37,700 -- -- 13,200 21,200 300--999 204,100 61,900 41,500 63,000 37,700 10,800 5,800 1,700 800 2,500 193,400 56,100 39,800 62,300 35,200 1,000 or more 180,400 82,800 67,700 26,000 -- 9,600 6,000 3,000 500 -- 170,800 76,800 64,700 25,500 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 66,200 -- 9,100 27,000 26,400 1,800 -- 200 300 1,300 64,500 -- 8,900 26,800 25,100 5--19% 88,800 15,700 35,200 28,500 9,300 4,100 1,000 1,000 1,800 200 84,700 14,700 34,200 26,700 9,100 20--49% 103,500 37,900 31,600 20,700 13,400 5,200 2,800 1,300 600 500 98,300 35,100 30,300 20,100 12,800 50 percent or more 159,400 89,000 34,700 21,400 14,300 11,500 8,000 2,200 200 1,100 147,900 81,000 32,500 21,200 13,200 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20% 91,700 18,100 34,300 27,300 12,000 2,900 900 1,000 600 400 88,800 17,200 33,300 26,700 11,600 21--34 percent 83,900 22,800 26,900 21,400 12,800 5,300 2,000 2,000 400 900 78,600 20,900 24,900 21,000 11,900 35--49 percent 72,900 23,600 15,700 16,600 17,100 3,300 2,000 300 400 600 69,600 21,600 15,400 16,200 16,400 50--74 percent 93,900 45,900 17,000 21,400 9,700 5,500 4,400 900 100 100 88,500 41,500 16,100 21,200 9,600 75 percent or more 75,800 35,900 -- -- -- 5,400 2,500 -- -- -- 70,400 33,500 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include murder, rape or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack orfight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious violent or nonviolent crimes include physical attack or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, and vandalism. Any incidents refer to any of the crimes listed. Not included are any crimes not listed here and any crimes not reported to police. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Population size 78,000 public schools. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 6.4-Number of criminal incidents reported to police per 1,000 public school students, by seriousness of the incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Any incidents Serious violent incidents Less serious violent or nonviolent incidents Urban Urban Urban School characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 10.0 11.6 8.8 10.2 9.0 0.5 0.9 0.4 0.3 0.4 9.5 10.7 8.4 9.9 8.5 Instructional level Elementary school 3.5 2.7 3.9 4.5 3.0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.2 3.4 2.5 3.8 4.5 2.8 Middle school 16.2 24.8 12.6 13.0 12.2 0.9 2.1 0.6 0.2 0.8 15.3 22.6 12.0 12.9 11.4 High school 18.1 20.9 15.7 17.6 18.1 1.0 1.7 0.9 0.8 0.7 17.0 19.3 14.9 16.8 17.4 Region Northeast 8.1 8.8 7.7 8.2 7.4 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.2 0.5 7.7 8.0 7.5 8.0 6.9 Southeast 9.2 9.1 13.6 7.2 7.0 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.1 0.3 8.8 8.5 13.0 7.1 6.7 Central 9.5 13.7 5.9 9.4 9.6 0.8 1.8 0.4 0.2 0.7 8.8 11.9 5.5 9.2 8.9 West 12.2 13.1 8.7 15.5 12.1 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.6 0.3 11.6 12.4 8.4 14.8 11.8 School enrollment Less than 300 10.7 -- -- 17.1 11.2 0.6 -- -- 1.8 0.3 10.1 -- -- 15.3 10.9 300--999 7.3 8.0 5.2 8.3 8.0 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.5 6.9 7.3 5.0 8.2 7.5 1,000 or more 16.9 18.2 17.0 15.3 -- 0.9 1.3 0.8 0.3 -- 16.0 16.8 16.3 15.0 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 6.9 -- 4.6 7.6 7.3 0.2 -- 0.1 0.1 0.3 6.7 -- 4.4 7.6 7.0 5--19 percent 8.7 7.4 8.1 11.1 8.0 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.7 0.2 8.3 6.9 7.9 10.4 7.8 20--49 percent 10.2 11.6 9.7 9.7 8.9 0.5 0.9 0.4 0.3 0.4 9.7 10.8 9.3 9.4 8.5 50 percent or more 13.2 13.1 11.8 13.3 20.0 1.0 1.2 0.8 0.1 1.6 12.3 12.0 11.1 13.2 18.4 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 8.1 9.1 6.8 9.9 8.0 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.3 7.9 8.6 6.6 9.7 7.8 21--34 percent 9.2 11.3 10.5 8.2 6.5 0.6 1.0 0.8 0.2 0.5 8.6 10.3 9.7 8.1 6.0 35--49 percent 10.7 13.7 10.3 9.4 9.6 0.5 1.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 10.2 12.5 10.1 9.2 9.2 50--74 percent 11.7 16.1 8.7 9.8 9.1 0.7 1.5 0.4 0.1 0.1 11.0 14.5 8.3 9.8 9.0 75 percent or more 11.2 9.2 -- -- -- 0.8 0.6 -- -- -- 10.4 8.6 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. NOTE: Serious violent crimes include murder, rape or other type of sexual battery, suicide, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Less serious violent or nonviolent crimes include physical attack or fight without a weapon, theft/larceny, and vandalism. Any incidents refer to any of the crimes listed. Not included are any crimes not listed here and any crimes not reported to police. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Population size is 42,336,819 public school students. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7.1-Percentage of public schools reporting one or more incidents of serious violent crime to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Rape or other type of Physical attack or sexual battery fight with a weapon Robbery Urban Urban Urban School characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 3.0 5.1 3.7 1.3 2.1 6.0 10.3 6.5 3.0 4.9 3.1 8.1 2.7 0.9 1.1 Instructional level Elementary school 0.8 1.1 0.9 * 1.3 2.3 4.0 2.0 * 3.0 0.8 1.9 0.4 * 0.9 Middle school 5.2 9.2 7.5 2.1 3.1 11.6 21.8 10.7 5.6 11.1 5.4 15.3 6.8 * 1.7 High school 7.6 20.4 11.6 3.9 3.4 12.5 28.0 21.1 8.0 5.7 7.9 31.0 8.0 4.1 1.3 Region Northeast 2.2 4.2 2.0 0.9 2.7 4.2 7.5 3.7 0.9 7.2 3.1 7.8 2.1 0.9 3.6 Southeast 3.5 4.2 8.7 2.4 0.6 5.0 12.2 4.4 1.8 3.2 2.3 5.9 2.6 0.7 1.1 Central 2.9 7.0 1.3 * 3.4 5.8 6.3 9.4 2.0 5.8 2.6 7.6 2.5 * 1.3 West 3.2 4.7 4.6 1.9 1.5 8.2 13.2 8.0 6.6 4.3 4.1 9.9 3.7 1.8 * School enrollment Less than 300 1.3 -- -- 1.5 1.3 1.9 -- -- 4.0 1.2 0.5 -- -- 1.5 * 300--999 2.5 2.5 3.4 0.9 3.3 5.6 7.9 4.7 2.0 9.0 2.2 4.6 1.4 0.5 2.6 1,000 or more 11.4 18.3 8.7 4.5 -- 20.4 26.5 18.8 9.1 -- 15.8 27.0 12.0 2.3 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 1.8 -- 2.6 0.9 2.1 3.2 -- 1.6 2.0 4.4 1.0 -- 1.6 0.5 1.1 5--19 percent 3.2 5.9 3.6 1.5 1.8 5.6 4.4 6.8 5.7 4.3 2.1 6.1 0.9 1.5 0.8 20--49 percent 3.6 7.0 2.2 1.6 3.1 7.4 12.1 7.9 3.2 4.9 2.9 8.7 1.1 1.0 * 50 percent or more 4.0 4.0 7.2 2.1 1.4 9.3 12.2 8.7 1.3 9.3 7.3 9.5 9.1 1.0 3.5 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 2.9 4.5 3.5 1.4 2.4 5.1 8.0 5.2 5.6 2.6 1.2 4.1 1.2 * 0.6 21--34 percent 3.4 6.4 5.4 * 3.7 6.5 11.9 9.1 2.0 6.1 2.7 8.7 1.9 0.7 2.4 35--49 percent 4.4 11.3 5.4 1.9 2.4 6.1 19.2 1.0 1.0 6.2 2.9 12.6 2.2 1.1 * 50--74 percent 1.6 4.2 2.6 * * 6.0 13.3 8.4 1.3 2.3 3.8 11.5 3.8 0.7 * 75 percent or more 3.0 3.0 -- -- -- 6.7 5.5 -- -- -- 5.6 5.9 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. *No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some schools with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn. NOTE: Examples of weapons are guns, knives, sharp-edged or pointed objects, baseball bats, frying pans, sticks, rocks, and bottles. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Population size is 78,000 public schools. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7.2-Percentage of public schools reporting one or more less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Physical attack or fight without a weapon Theft or larceny Vandalism Urban Urban Urban School characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 27.8 30.4 28.2 31.8 21.3 30.7 34.5 28.9 36.1 24.0 37.8 40.9 37.3 43.6 30.1 Instructional level Elementary school 12.1 13.3 14.9 11.2 8.6 18.8 21.3 17.4 23.3 13.7 30.5 31.6 31.7 38.5 20.6 Middle school 51.2 65.8 47.8 49.9 42.5 44.0 60.7 44.1 44.3 26.6 47.3 60.4 43.8 44.8 41.6 High school 55.1 74.3 63.3 67.2 35.5 55.2 69.7 61.2 61.6 42.5 51.7 64.8 54.0 55.8 42.9 Region Northeast 22.8 20.6 21.8 28.2 17.9 26.4 34.7 20.8 31.1 20.2 37.0 37.8 31.4 45.7 33.0 Southeast 28.7 31.8 31.0 32.2 21.2 31.7 25.6 39.8 34.6 28.0 36.4 39.2 38.1 35.8 33.6 Central 26.4 26.4 29.5 34.5 19.5 25.7 27.8 22.3 36.7 19.6 30.3 35.0 29.7 30.0 28.1 West 31.6 36.9 31.9 31.6 25.3 37.6 44.2 36.7 41.0 28.0 46.6 47.5 50.0 61.7 28.9 School enrollment Less than 300 16.6 -- -- 15.9 18.0 17.6 -- -- 23.8 19.3 23.4 -- -- 26.1 24.6 300--999 26.5 24.2 23.8 33.1 24.1 30.5 28.5 26.6 37.6 28.6 40.1 36.6 38.0 47.8 37.1 1,000 or more 67.0 69.7 61.7 74.3 -- 68.0 75.0 63.3 64.4 -- 61.6 64.5 61.3 63.7 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 22.3 -- 22.3 29.3 17.4 24.2 -- 20.1 32.3 20.3 29.1 -- 27.3 35.7 24.7 5--19 percent 27.4 19.6 30.7 30.0 25.9 28.1 21.6 27.2 35.7 26.2 40.0 41.2 45.7 41.4 26.0 20--49 percent 31.5 40.9 26.3 36.8 21.5 30.5 30.6 34.5 31.2 24.2 37.8 37.8 33.3 42.1 39.8 50 percent or more 31.7 29.3 32.7 33.0 37.4 41.3 43.0 32.5 47.1 42.1 46.9 42.9 39.2 65.3 51.1 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 28.9 27.5 29.6 38.4 18.4 30.0 26.4 29.5 40.8 21.2 37.3 40.1 37.6 40.2 32.0 21--34 percent 27.3 32.4 33.0 26.8 21.4 24.7 39.2 21.9 29.5 15.5 33.6 45.0 42.4 38.1 17.7 35--49 percent 28.3 48.9 20.8 30.6 21.2 34.8 47.2 35.3 36.5 27.7 37.9 56.6 22.3 40.6 35.8 50--74 percent 28.0 33.0 28.5 29.5 21.6 31.1 32.1 31.6 37.2 23.8 39.2 32.8 35.4 49.6 37.1 75 percent or more 24.8 23.1 -- -- -- 35.5 33.5 -- -- -- 41.6 39.8 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. NOTE: Examples of weapons are guns, knives, sharp-edged or pointed objects, baseball bats, frying pans, sticks, rocks, and bottles. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Population size is 78,000 public schools. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Number are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence, FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7.3-Number of public schools reporting one or more incidents of serious violent crime to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Rape or other type of sexual battery Physical attack or fight with a weapon Robbery Urban Urban Urban School characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 2,326 912 707 256 451 4,695 1,845 1,230 580 1,039 2,389 1,461 520 171 237 Instructional level Elementary school 404 141 115 * 149 1,108 499 254 * 355 395 239 53 * 103 Middle school 731 281 265 91 93 1,626 665 379 247 335 760 467 242 * 51 High school 1,192 491 328 164 209 1,960 681 597 334 349 1,235 755 226 171 83 Region Northeast 333 124 112 36 61 627 224 203 36 165 468 233 116 36 82 Southeast 595 155 290 120 31 850 456 146 90 158 394 220 85 36 52 Central 661 327 61 * 273 1,313 298 454 98 463 582 356 123 * 103 West 738 307 245 100 86 1,904 868 427 356 253 946 652 196 98 * School enrollment Less than 300 255 -- -- 68 154 383 -- -- 187 135 101 -- -- 68 * 300--999 1,232 334 473 128 297 2,804 1,051 658 273 821 1,123 619 194 73 237 1,000 or more 840 545 235 60 -- 1,508 794 512 120 -- 1,166 810 326 30 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 430 -- 97 66 247 773 -- 61 158 515 231 -- 61 36 133 5--19 percent 557 210 223 68 56 974 156 418 265 136 366 215 57 68 26 20--49 percent 636 341 116 62 117 1,320 589 424 121 185 520 424 59 36 * 50 percent or more 704 342 272 60 31 1,628 1,060 328 36 203 1,273 822 344 30 78 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 531 123 244 66 98 946 218 359 261 108 222 110 86 * 26 21--34 percent 589 167 217 * 205 1,120 308 368 100 344 473 226 77 36 133 35--49 percent 566 250 138 62 117 785 426 26 32 301 373 279 57 36 * 50--74 percent 250 166 85 * * 959 528 271 60 100 607 456 121 30 * 75 percent or more 373 191 -- -- -- 844 349 -- -- -- 698 373 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. *No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some schools with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn. NOTE: Examples of weapons are guns, knives, sharp-edged or pointed objects, baseball bats, frying pans, sticks, rocks, and bottles. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Population size is 78,000 public schools. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence, FRSS 63, 1997. 64 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7.4-Number of public schools reporting one or more less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Physical attack or fight without a weapon Theft or larceny Vandalism Urban Urban Urban School characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 21,600 5,500 5,400 6,200 4,500 23,800 6,200 5,400 7,100 5,100 29,300 7,400 7,000 8,500 6,400 Instructional level Elementary school 5,800 1,700 1,900 1,200 1,000 9,000 2,700 2,200 2,600 1,600 14,600 3,900 4,000 4,200 2,400 Middle school 7,200 2,000 1,700 2,200 1,300 6,200 1,900 1,600 1,900 800 6,600 1,800 1,600 2,000 1,300 High school 8,600 1,800 1,800 2,800 2,200 8,600 1,700 1,700 2,600 2,600 8,100 1,600 1,500 2,300 2,600 Region Northeast 3,400 600 1,200 1,200 400 4,000 1,000 1,100 1,300 500 5,600 1,100 1,700 2,000 800 Southeast 4,900 1,200 1,000 1,600 1,000 5,400 1,000 1,300 1,700 1,400 6,200 1,500 1,300 1,800 1,700 Central 5,900 1,200 1,400 1,700 1,500 5,800 1,300 1,100 1,800 1,600 6,800 1,600 1,400 1,500 2,200 West 7,300 2,400 1,700 1,700 1,500 8,700 2,900 1,900 2,200 1,700 10,700 3,100 2,600 3,300 1,700 School enrollment Less than 300 3,400 -- -- 700 2,100 3,600 -- -- 1,100 2,200 4,700 -- -- 1,200 2,800 300--999 13,300 3,200 3,300 4,500 2,200 15,200 3,800 3,700 5,100 2,600 20,000 4,900 5,200 6,500 3,400 1,000 or more 4,900 2,100 1,700 1,000 -- 5,000 2,200 1,700 900 -- 4,500 1,900 1,700 800 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 5,400 -- 800 2,300 2,000 5,900 -- 700 2,500 2,400 7,000 -- 1,000 2,800 2,900 5--19 percent 4,800 700 1,900 1,400 800 4,900 800 1,700 1,700 800 7,000 1,500 2,800 1,900 800 20--49 percent 5,600 2,000 1,400 1,400 800 5,400 1,500 1,800 1,200 900 6,700 1,800 1,800 1,600 1,500 50 percent or more 5,500 2,500 1,200 1,000 800 7,200 3,700 1,200 1,400 900 8,200 3,700 1,400 1,900 1,100 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 5,300 700 2,100 1,800 800 5,500 700 2,100 1,900 900 6,900 1,100 2,600 1,800 1,300 21--34 percent 4,700 800 1,300 1,400 1,200 4,300 1,000 900 1,500 900 5,800 1,200 1,700 1,900 1,000 35--49 percent 3,700 1,100 500 1,000 1,000 4,500 1,000 900 1,200 1,300 4,900 1,300 600 1,300 1,700 50--74 percent 4,500 1,300 900 1,300 1,000 5,000 1,300 1,000 1,700 1,100 6,200 1,300 1,100 2,200 1,600 75 percent or more 3,100 1,500 -- -- -- 4,400 2,100 -- -- -- 5,200 2,500 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. NOTE: Examples of weapons are guns, knives, sharp-edged or pointed objects, baseball bats, frying pans, sticks, rocks, and bottles. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Population size is 78,000 public schools. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence, FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7.5-Number of serious violent criminal incidents occurring in public schools reported to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Rape or other type of sexual battery Physical attack or fight with a weapon Robbery Urban Urban Urban School characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 4,200 1,900 1,100 300 800 11,000 5,400 2,100 1,700 1,800 7,200 4,500 1,500 600 500 Instructional level Elementary school 700 300 100 * 300 1,600 900 300 * 500 400 200 100 * 100 Middle school 1,400 600 600 100 200 4,100 2,700 600 300 500 2,300 1,900 300 * 100 High school 2,100 1,100 500 200 400 5,300 1,800 1,200 1,400 800 4,400 2,400 1,200 600 300 Region Northeast 500 200 200 ** 100 1,100 600 300 ** 200 1,600 900 200 300 200 Southeast 1,200 400 500 200 200 1,600 900 500 100 200 1,300 300 700 ** 300 Central 1,200 600 100 * 500 4,300 2,400 500 200 1,100 2,100 1,600 400 * 100 West 1,300 700 400 100 100 3,900 1,600 700 1,300 400 2,200 1,600 300 300 * School enrollment Less than 300 300 -- -- 100 200 1,400 -- -- 1,000 300 200 -- -- 200 * 300--999 2,000 600 700 100 600 5,700 3,300 700 300 1,400 3,000 1,900 300 300 500 1,000 or more 1,800 1,300 500 100 -- 3,900 2,100 1,300 400 -- 3,900 2,600 1,300 100 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 700 -- 100 100 500 900 -- 100 200 600 300 -- 100 ** 200 5--19 percent 800 400 300 100 100 2,400 400 600 1,300 100 600 300 100 200 100 20--49 percent 1,500 800 300 100 200 2,200 1,100 600 200 300 1,500 900 300 300 * 50 percent or more 1,200 700 400 100 ** 5,400 3,900 700 ** 800 4,800 3,400 1,100 100 300 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 800 300 300 100 200 1,400 300 400 500 200 700 300 300 * 100 21--34 percent 1,100 400 400 * 400 2,400 900 1,000 100 400 1,500 700 600 ** 200 35--49 percent 1,000 500 100 100 200 1,500 1,000 ** ** 400 900 500 100 300 * 50--74 percent 600 400 200 * * 2,900 2,300 500 100 100 2,000 1,700 200 100 * 75 percent or more 600 400 -- -- -- 2,700 900 -- -- -- 2,000 1,200 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. *No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some schools with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn. **Values are less than 50. NOTE: Examples of weapons are guns, knives, sharp-edged or pointed objects, baseball bats, frying pans, sticks, rocks, and bottles. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence, FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7.6-Number of less serious violent or nonviolent criminal incidents occurring in public schools reported to police, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Physical attack or fight without a weapon Theft or larceny Vandalism Urban Urban Urban School characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 187,900 62,100 54,800 46,300 24,700 115,500 39,900 28,300 29,000 18,300 98,500 32,700 22,800 25,700 17,200 Instructional level Elementary school 21,500 2,900 8,300 7,400 3,000 19,500 5,700 6,400 4,600 2,900 34,800 9,000 10,800 10,000 5,000 Middle school 73,300 34,100 19,100 14,700 5,400 31,500 12,300 8,100 7,700 3,400 23,800 9,400 4,000 7,000 3,400 High school 93,100 25,200 27,400 24,300 16,300 64,600 22,000 13,800 16,700 12,100 39,900 14,300 8,000 8,700 8,900 Region Northeast 29,100 8,800 12,200 5,000 3,000 18,100 4,000 6,000 5,500 2,600 17,100 4,400 4,700 6,700 1,200 Southeast 50,700 9,800 22,700 11,400 6,800 23,300 7,400 6,400 5,300 4,200 17,300 5,600 3,900 3,700 4,200 Central 45,600 18,300 8,200 10,900 8,200 23,000 7,500 4,200 6,000 5,300 18,600 4,400 3,000 4,400 6,700 West 62,500 25,200 11,700 19,000 6,700 51,200 21,100 11,700 12,200 6,200 45,500 18,300 11,200 10,900 5,000 School enrollment Less than 300 15,600 -- -- 5,800 8,200 9,900 -- -- 3,200 6,100 12,300 -- -- 4,200 6,900 300--999 87,900 27,500 18,400 27,600 14,500 51,400 13,500 9,900 17,400 10,700 54,000 15,100 11,600 17,300 10,000 1,000 or more 84,400 34,200 35,300 12,900 -- 54,200 25,900 18,300 8,400 -- 32,200 16,700 11,000 4,200 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 24,300 -- 3,100 11,200 8,300 21,400 -- 3,400 8,100 8,700 18,700 -- 2,400 7,500 8,100 5--19 percent 35,600 5,500 15,600 10,500 3,900 29,400 5,800 10,500 9,500 3,600 19,700 3,400 8,000 6,700 1,600 20--49 percent 54,000 16,800 17,500 13,400 6,200 25,900 11,000 8,800 3,000 3,100 18,500 7,300 4,000 3,700 3,400 50 percent or more 72,600 38,100 18,500 9,800 6,200 34,800 21,500 5,500 4,900 2,900 40,400 21,400 8,500 6,600 4,000 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 40,000 6,400 16,100 12,900 4,500 29,500 7,200 10,100 8,300 3,900 19,300 3,600 7,100 5,500 3,200 21-34 percent 34,900 8,800 13,800 7,300 5,000 26,100 7,400 6,200 8,100 4,400 17,700 4,700 4,900 5,600 2,500 35-49 percent 33,300 10,700 8,700 7,200 6,800 21,600 6,500 5,100 5,100 4,900 14,700 4,400 1,600 4,000 4,800 50-74 percent 45,900 22,900 9,200 10,100 3,700 22,400 10,600 4,500 4,800 2,500 20,100 8,000 2,500 6,400 3,300 75 percent or more 28,800 13,200 -- -- -- 15,800 8,200 -- -- -- 25,800 12,000 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. NOTE: Examples of weapons are guns, knives, sharp-edged or pointed objects, baseball bats, frying pans, sticks, rocks, and bottles. Schools were asked to report crimes that took place in school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence, FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 7.7-Number of serious violent criminal incidents reported to police per 1,000 public school students, by type of incident, urbanicity, and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Rape or other type of sexual battery Physical attack or fight with a weapon Robbery Urban Urban Urban School characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 0.1 0.2 0.1 0 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.1 Instructional level Elementary school 0 0 0 * 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 * 0.1 0 0 0 * 0 Middle school 0.2 0.2 0.2 0 0.2 0.5 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.8 0.1 * 0.1 High school 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.2 Region Northeast 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.2 Southeast 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 0 0.1 Central 0.1 0.2 0 * 0.2 0.4 1 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.6 0.1 * 0 West 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 * School enrollment Less than 300 0.1 -- -- 0.1 0.1 0.4 -- -- 1.2 0.2 0.1 -- -- 0.2 * 300--999 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.1 0 0.3 0.1 0.3 0 0 0.1 1,000 or more 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 -- 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.2 -- 0.4 0.6 0.3 0 -- Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 0.1 -- 0 0 0.1 0.1 -- 0 0 0.2 0 -- 0 0 0 5--19 percent 0.1 0.2 0.1 0 0 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0.1 0 20--49 percent 0.1 0.2 0.1 0 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 * 50 percent or more 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0 0.5 0.6 0.2 0 1.1 0.4 0.5 0.4 0 0.4 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 * 0 21--34 percent 0.1 0.2 0.2 * 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0 0.1 35--49 percent 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.6 0 0 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.2 * 50--74 percent 0.1 0.1 0.1 * * 0.4 0.8 0.2 0 0.1 0.2 0.6 0.1 0 * 75 percent or more 0.1 0.1 -- -- -- 0.4 0.2 -- -- -- 0.3 0.3 -- -- -- --Fewer than 30 sample cases. *No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some schools with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn. NOTE: Examples of weapons are guns, knives, sharp-edged or pointed objects, baseball bats, frying pans, sticks, rocks, and bottles. Schools were asked to report crimes that took buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, and at places holding school-sponsored events. Population size is 42,336,819 public school students. Values of 0.0 are less than 0.05. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 8.1-Number and percentage of school-associated violent deaths, by selected characteristics: 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years Total Student Nonstudent Selected characteristic Number Percent Number Percent Rate1 Number Percent Total 105 100.0 76 100.0 0.09 29 100.0 Type of fatality Homicide 85 81.0 63 82.9 0.07 22 75.9 Suicide 20 19.0 13 17.1 0.02 7 24.1 Sex Male 87 82.9 -- -- -- -- -- Female 18 17.1 -- -- -- -- -- Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 34 32.4 17 22.4 0.03 17 58.6 Black, non-Hispanic 48 45.7 38 50.0 0.28 10 34.5 Hispanic 21 20.0 19 25.0 0.16 2 6.9 Asian/Pacific Islander 2 1.9 2 2.6 0.07 0 0 Instructional level Preschool--grade 8 -- -- 102 13.7 0.02 -- -- Grades 9--12 -- -- 63 86.3 0.27 -- -- Urbanicity of school district Urban 63 60.0 47 61.8 0.18 16 55.2 Suburban 32 30.5 23 30.3 0.09 9 31.0 Rural 10 9.5 6 7.9 0.02 4 13.8 --Not available. 1/The rate is the estimated annualized rate of school-associated violent deaths per 100,000 students based on 1992-93 enrollment figures. 2/Instructional level unknown for three students. NOTE: A school-associated violent death was any homicide or suicide 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 such a school, or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official school-event. Cases included the deaths of nonstudents as well as students and staff members. Population size is 97,134,000. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. SOURCE: S.P. Kachur et al., "School-Associated Violent Deaths in the United States, 1992 to 1994," Journal of the American Medical Association 275 (22) (1996): 1729-1733. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 9.1-Number of nonfatal crimes against teachers and average annual number of crimes per 1,000 teachers at school, by type of selected teacher characteristics: Aggregated from 1992 to 1996/1 Total crimes from 1992 to 1996 Average annual number of crimes per 1,000 teachers Teacher Serious Serious characteristics Total/2 Theft Violent/3 violent/4 Total/2 Theft Violent/3 violent4 Total 1,581,100 962,100 619,000 89,000 76 46 30 4 Instructional level Elementary 606,700 416,200 190,500 47,900 55 38 17 4 Middle/Junior high 423,000 180,100 242,900 17,500 103 44 59 4 Senior high 551,400 365,700 185,600 23,600 96 64 32 4 Sex Male 450,700 233,500 217,100 28,000 86 44 41 5 Female 1,130,400 728,500 401,900 61,000 72 47 26 4 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 1,370,300 830,000 540,300 73,600 78 47 31 4 Black, non-Hispanic 135,700 91,500 44,200 13,000 69 47 23 7 Hispanic 49,700 34,400 15,300 * 55 38 17 * Other, non-Hispanic 25,400 6,200 19,200 2,300 91 22 69 8 Urbanicity of school6 Urban 912,300 544,900 367,400 51,700 96 57 39 5 Suburban 370,200 237,800 132,400 19,500 57 37 20 3 Rural 211,500 124,700 86,800 11,900 55 32 22 3 *No cases were reported in this cell, although the crime defined by the cell could have happened to some teachers with these characteristics if different sample had been drawn. 1/The data were aggregated from 1992 to 1996 due to the small number of teachers in each year's sample. 2/Total crimes include rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, and theft. 3/Violent crimes include rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. 4/Serious violent crimes include rape/sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault, which are included in violent crime. 5/The estimate was based on fewer than 10 cases. 6/Teachers teaching in more than one school in different locales are not included. NOTE: On average there were about 4.2 million teachers per year over the 5-year period for a total population size of 20,909,729 teachers. The average annual number of full-time equivalent teachers is approximately 2.9 million. The population reported here includes part-time teachers as well as other instructional and support staff. Due to rounding or missing data, details may not sum to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1992 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 10.1-Percentage and number of teachers who reported that they were threatened with injury or that they were physically attacked by a student during the past 12 months, by urbanicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: 1993-94 school year Teachers threatened with injury by a student Teachers physically attacked by a student Percent Number Percent Number Urban Small Urban Small Urban Small Urban Small Central fringe/ town/ Central fringe/ town/ Central fringe/ town/ Central fringe/ town/ Selected characteristics Total city large town rural Total city large town rural Total city large town rural Total city large town rural Total 11.7 15.1 10.7 9.8 341,000 132,100 99,600 109,300 4.1 5.6 4 3.1 119,200 48,100 37,000 34,100 Sex Male 14.7 19.5 14.0 11.8 115,900 45,100 33,800 37,000 3.9 5.8 3.6 2.7 30,800 13,500 8,800 8,500 Female 10.5 13.5 9.5 9.1 225,100 87,000 65,800 72,400 4.2 5.4 4.1 3.3 88,400 34,600 28,200 25,700 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 11.5 15.4 10.5 9.9 294,300 103,900 88,400 102,000 4.1 5.7 3.9 3.1 102,700 37,900 32,800 32,000 Black, non-Hispanic 11.9 13 12.6 8.5 23,600 14,600 5,300 3,700 3.9 4.2 4.3 2.4 7,700 4,800 1,900 1,000 Hispanic 13.1 15.3 10.6 10.1 15,800 10,200 3,400 2,200 5.2 6.4 4.3 2.7 6,100 4,200 1,300 500 Other, non-Hispanic 13.4 16.9 13.0 9.4 7,300 3,300 2,500 1,400 5.2 6.6 5 3.6 2,800 1,200 1,000 500 Teacher level Elementary 8.7 11.7 7.4 7.3 133,600 56,300 35,900 41,400 4.9 6.5 4.6 3.8 75,400 31,100 22,400 22,000 Secondary 15.0 19.3 14.2 12.5 207,400 75,800 63,700 67,900 3.2 4.3 3.2 2.2 43,800 17,000 14,600 12,200 Control Public 12.8 17.8 11.6 10.2 325,400 126,800 92,600 106,000 4.4 6.4 4.2 3.2 110,700 45,100 32,900 32,600 Private 4.2 3.3 5.0 4.6 15,600 5,300 7,000 3,300 2.3 1.9 2.9 2.1 8,500 3,000 4,000 1,500 NOTE: Population size is 2,940,000 teachers. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey, 1993--94 (Teacher and School Questionnaires). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 11.1-Percentage of 12th graders who reported carrying a weapon or gun to school at least 1 day in the past 4 weeks, by sex: 1992 to 1996 Carrying a weapon Carrying a gun Year Total Male Female Total Male Female 1992 6.2 10.4 2.2 -- -- -- 1993 7.9 13.5 2.4 -- -- -- 1994 6.1 9.8 1.8 3.1 4.8 0.9 1995 6.4 9.6 2.8 3.2 5.9 0.5 1996 5.7 8.6 2.9 3.3 6.3 0.3 --Question was not asked in the 1992 and 1993 surveys. NOTE: Examples of weapons are guns, knives, and clubs. "To school" was not defined for the questionnaire respondent. Response rates for this survey do not meet NCES standards. See table B1 for details. SOURCE: University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future Study, 1992 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 11.2-Percentage of students in grades 9 to 12 who reported carrying a weapon on school property at least 1 day in the past 30 days, by selected student characteristics: 1993, 1995, and 1997 Student characteristics 1993 1995* 1997* Total 11.7 9.6 8.5 Sex Male 17.8 14.1 12.5 Female 5.1 4.9 3.7 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 10.8 8.9 7.8 Black, non-Hispanic 14.8 10.1 9.2 Hispanic 13.1 14.0 10.4 Other, non-Hispanic 12.7 9.6 9.4 Grade Ninth 12.5 10.6 10.2 Tenth 11.4 10.3 7.7 Eleventh 11.8 10.0 9.4 Twelfth 10.7 7.5 7.0 *Response rates do not meet NCES standards. See table B1 for details. NOTE: Examples of weapons are guns, knives, and clubs. "On school property" was not defined for the questionnaire respondent. Populatio SOURCE: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Heal Statistics, National Health Interview Survey. --Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 1993, 1995, and 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 13.1-Percentage and number of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that they avoided one or more places in school, by urbanicity and selected student characteristics: 1989 and 1995 Percent Number 1989 1995 1989 1995 Sub- Sub- Sub- Sub- Student characteristics Total Urban urban Rural Total Urban urban Rural Total Urban urban Rural Total Urban urban Rural Total 5.1 6.9 4.1 5.1 8.7 11.8 7.9 6.9 1,096,000 400,100 409,000 287,000 2,073,900 741,900 897,200 434,900 Sex Male 5.1 6.9 4.0 5.2 8.7 12.4 7.6 7.2 569,000 203,200 210,600 155,300 1,077,000 397,700 446,700 232,600 Female 5.1 6.8 4.1 4.9 8.6 11.1 8.2 6.7 527,000 196,900 198,400 131,700 996,900 344,200 450,500 202,300 Race--ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 4.5 5.6 4.0 4.6 7.0 8.7 6.5 6.9 685,600 160,300 321,300 204,000 1,145,900 242,700 561,700 341,400 Black, non-Hispanic 6.8 7.8 3.2 8.6 12.0 14.1 11.0 8.0 229,000 135,500 28,300 65,200 448,900 270,100 117,400 61,400 Hispanic 6.5 8.1 5.2 4.5 13.0 14.2 15.0 5.0 131,600 78,200 40,900 12,500 377,300 188,100 166,000 23,100 Other, non-Hispanic 6.3 9.6 4.7 4.3 10.9 14.5 10.0 6.9 49,800 26,100 18,400 5,300 102,000 40,900 52,000 9,000 Age 12 6.5 8.8 4.9 6.8 11.6 13.2 12.2 8.8 209,300 77,500 71,900 59,800 432,900 128,400 218,900 85,600 13 6.0 6.7 6.5 4.5 10.9 11.2 11.2 10.1 200,600 58,800 103,400 38,400 411,600 114,700 196,100 100,800 14 6.3 8.4 5.0 6.3 8.6 11.7 7.7 7.1 203,900 73,100 76,700 54,000 320,800 115,600 139,400 65,900 15 5.0 8.4 3.2 4.8 8.7 15.0 6.3 6.2 160,900 72,000 49,400 39,500 321,300 153,300 108,700 59,200 16 4.0 6.0 2.9 3.8 6.8 9.0 6.5 5.5 130,500 52,000 45,300 33,100 250,500 80,100 114,100 56,300 17 3.6 3.6 3.1 4.6 6.5 10.2 4.7 6.0 118,000 32,100 46,700 39,100 205,200 86,300 71,400 47,500 18 3.5 5.4 1.7 4.6 5.8 10.3 4.5 3.8 60,900 26,300 13,600 21,000 105,600 48,000 38,100 19,500 19 5.2 10.8 2.2 2.8 7.9 15.4 7.9 * 12,100 8,300 2,000 1,900 26,000 15,500 10,500 * Control Public 5.4 7.5 4.4 5.0 9.3 13.2 8.6 7.1 1,042,200 383,400 394,900 263,900 2,022,700 720,500 869,700 432,600 Private 1.5 1.7 1.2 2.4 2.3 2.6 2.2 1.2 28,200 11,000 11,300 5,900 49,100 21,400 25,400 2,200 *No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some students with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn. NOTE: Places include the entrance into the school, any hallways and stairs in the school, parts of the school cafeteria, any school restrooms, and other places inside the school building. Population sizes are 21,554,000 students ages 12 through 19 in 1989 and 23,933,000 in 1995. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 1989 and 1995. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 14.1-Percentage of students ages 12 through 19 who reported that street gangs were present at school, by characteristics: 1989 and 1995 1989 1995 Student characteristic Total Urban Suburban Rural Total Urban Suburban Rural Total 15.3 24.8 14.0 7.9 28.4 40.7 26.3 19.9 Sex Male 15.8 27.5 13.7 7.8 28.9 40.7 27.2 20.4 Female 14.8 22.1 14.3 7.9 27.9 40.8 25.3 19.3 Race-ethnicity White, non-Hispanic 11.7 19.8 11.2 7.3 23.0 34.0 22.6 17.8 Black, non-Hispanic 19.8 24.2 17.5 12.7 34.7 42.2 32.9 18.4 Hispanic 31.6 37.2 33.9 5.5 49.5 53.5 47.9 41.9 Other, non-Hispanic 25.4 37.4 23.6 4.4 31.2 36.7 28.5 30.2 Age 12 12.1 16.7 11.4 8.4 19.3 29.0 16.9 14.1 13 14.5 22.2 13.5 8.3 26.7 36.0 26.3 18.0 14 17.9 28.1 17.3 8.5 30.6 44.6 27.8 21.1 15 16.2 29.8 12.6 8.8 32.7 46.6 30.3 22.1 16 16.4 27.0 15.6 7.1 30.2 43.2 29.1 20.5 17 15.3 24.1 14.8 7.0 31.0 44.6 26.3 25.7 18 14.5 25.3 12.7 7.6 28.8 39.6 29.0 18.6 19 16.9 36.1 7.0 7.6 30.7 54.1 23.8 15.9 Control Public 16.5 27.2 15.3 8.1 30.6 45.4 28.6 20.5 Private 4.4 6.1 3.7 2.7 6.8 9.6 5.6 2.2 NOTE: "At school" was not defined for the questionnaire respondent. Population sizes are 21,554,000 students ages 12 through 19 in 1989 and 23,933,000 in 1995. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 1989 and 1995. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 15.1-Percentage and number of public schools reporting that 1 or more of 17 discipline issues* was a s serious problem in their schoool, by urbanicity and selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Percent Number Urban Urban School characteristics Total City fringe Town Rural Total City fringe Town Rural Total 16.0 18.6 14.1 15.7 15.7 12,400 3,300 2,700 3,100 3,300 Instructional level Elementary school 8.4 11.7 6.6 6.2 9.1 4,100 1,500 800 700 1,100 Middle school 18.4 23.8 15.2 18.5 16.6 2,600 700 500 800 500 High school 36.9 47.3 46.1 37.9 28.0 5,800 1,200 1,300 1,600 1,700 Region Northeast 13.2 22.5 9.5 13.8 8.8 2,000 700 500 600 200 Southeast 18.4 18.7 15.3 20.1 18.5 3,100 700 500 1,000 900 Central 13.6 12.2 16.2 15 11.9 3,100 600 800 800 900 West 18.3 21.2 16.3 13.7 21.1 4,300 1,400 900 700 1,200 School size Less than 300 9.5 10.0 * 8.0 12.0 1,900 200 * 400 1,400 300--999 15.4 15.4 11.8 16.3 19.6 7,700 2,100 1,600 2,200 1,800 1,000 or more 37.6 37.4 38.3 37.2 34.7 2,800 1,100 1,000 500 100 Minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 10.3 5.5 7.1 13.8 9.4 2,500 ** 300 1,100 1,100 5--19 percent 17.3 15.2 16.5 21.2 15.3 3,000 500 1,000 1,000 500 20--49 percent 17.0 17.5 12.8 13.0 26.2 3,000 900 700 500 1,000 50 percent or more 21.7 21.8 18.9 16.4 33.1 3,800 1,900 700 500 700 Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility Less than 20 percent 13.1 15.7 11.8 17.4 9.0 2,400 400 800 800 400 21--34 percent 15.6 22.9 17.0 15.4 11.4 2,700 600 700 800 600 35--49 percent 19.0 28.5 1.9 23.1 21.0 2,500 600 ** 800 1,000 50--74 percent 16.0 14.0 25.4 9.3 17.8 2,600 600 800 400 800 75 percent or more 17.5 17.6 13.8 14.4 23.8 2,200 1,100 300 300 500 *Student tardiness, student absenteeism/class cutting, physical conflicts among students, robbery or theft of items worth over $10, vandalism of school property, student alcohol use, student drug use, sale of drugs on school grounds, student tobacco use, student possession of weapons, trespassing, verbal abuse of teachers, teacher absenteeism, teacher alcohol or drug use, racial tensions, and gangs. *No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some students with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn. **Values are less than 50. NOTE: Population size is 78,000 public schools. Due to rounding or missing cases, details may not add to totals. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 16.1-Percentage of 12th graders who reported using alcohol in the past 12 months, by place and sex: 1976 to 1996 Total Male Female Year Total School Home Party Total School Home Party Total School Home Party 1976 82.6 12.1 53.0 72.3 87.0 18.7 58.9 77.7 78.4 5.5 47.3 67.0 1977 85.5 13.2 53.8 74.0 88.5 18.3 58.5 77.9 82.7 8.3 49.4 70.4 1978 86.7 12.2 55.8 76.1 89.7 17.4 58.6 78.1 83.9 7.3 53.1 74.2 1979 77.2 11.5 48.5 67.9 88.7 18.3 59.5 78.0 84.7 7.6 53.4 73.4 1980 86.5 13.4 57.0 75.3 87.7 19.2 60.4 78.0 85.4 7.9 53.8 72.7 1981 84.8 11.3 53.3 75.4 87.2 16.0 56.7 78.0 82.5 7 50.1 73.0 1982 85.6 10.1 54.6 74.9 87.8 13.0 59.4 77.1 83.5 7.2 49.8 72.6 1983 85.8 12.2 54.7 73.8 87.9 16.7 57.8 77.6 83.9 7.7 51.6 70.1 1984 82.5 11.3 51.6 71.9 85.0 15.7 57.1 76.5 80.2 7.2 46.3 67.5 1985 84.1 10.9 49.7 72.3 84.5 15.0 53.3 72.9 83.7 7.1 46.5 71.6 1986 84.2 10.9 49.8 72.4 85.0 15.1 53.6 73.4 83.5 7.1 46.4 71.5 1987 85.2 10.2 52.1 73.7 86.1 13.1 53.9 75.3 84.4 7.4 50.3 72.2 1988 85.2 10.2 52.1 73.8 86.2 13.1 54.0 75.5 84.3 7.4 50.2 72.1 1989 81.0 6.9 46.1 69.5 82.0 10.4 49.7 71.5 79.9 3.5 42.7 67.7 1990 79.0 6.6 42.9 68.3 79.5 8.6 48.2 70.3 78.5 4.6 37.7 66.3 1991 76.8 6.3 39.6 66.0 78.4 8.9 42.9 68.6 75.3 3.8 36.6 63.4 1992 76.8 6.7 40.0 66.0 76.5 9.0 41.3 66.2 76.0 3.8 37.7 64.6 1993 74.4 7.0 38.8 62.5 74.5 10.1 40.7 63.6 74.2 4.0 37.1 61.4 1994 74.3 7.8 39.9 63.3 74.9 10.5 43.0 66.1 73.5 5.0 35.9 60.5 1995 74.5 6.6 41.5 63.6 75.6 8.4 45.5 65.6 72.9 3.2 36.1 60.8 1996 71.3 8.1 37.8 60.8 70.8 11.1 39.8 61.8 71.7 5.3 36.0 59.8 NOTE: "School" was not defined for the questionnaire respondent. Population sizes are not available. Response rates for this survey do not meet NECS standards. See table B1 for details. SOURCE: University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future Study, 1976 to 1996. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 17.1-Percentage of 12th graders who reported taking illegal drugs at school in the past 12 months, by type of drug: 1976-1997 Year Marijuana LSD Stimulant Tranquilizers Cocaine 1976 21.1 2.3 9.0 2.9 2.0 1977 22.0 2.2 10.1 2.9 2.1 1978 23.8 2.2 9.7 2.6 1.9 1979 23.3 1.9 9.8 2.5 2.5 1980 21.4 2.1 11.1 2.5 2.6 1981 18.1 2.3 15.5 2.2 2.5 1982 17.9 1.9 12.1 1.5 1.7 1983 14.1 1.9 10.0 1.4 1.0 1984 13.4 1.3 9.4 1.0 2.3 1985 13.6 1.2 8.4 1.5 2.9 1986 12.7 1.4 6.3 1.5 3.0 1987 10.6 1.4 5.2 1.0 1.9 1988 9.8 1.3 3.5 0.8 1.7 1989 6.6 1.2 3.5 0.7 1.1 1990 6.1 1.4 3.1 0.9 1.4 1991 5.3 1.2 2.2 0.5 0.5 1992 4.8 1.6 2.3 0.3 0.6 1993 5.7 2.3 2.6 0.5 0.8 1994 8.1 2.0 3.0 0.4 0.5 1995 8.5 2.0 3.1 0.4 1.0 1996 10.1 2.5 3.2 0.8 0.8 1997 9.8 2.2 4.2 0.8 0.7 NOTE: "School" was not defined for the questionnaire respondent. Population sizes are not available. Response rates for this survey do not meet NCES standards. See B1 for details. SOURCE: University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future Study, 1976 to 1997. Special tabultion provided by Monitoring the Future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table 17.2-Percentage of 12th graders who reported taking illegal drugs in the past 12 months, by location and type of drug: 1976 to 1997 At a party At home Year Marijuana LSD Stimulant Tranquilizers Cocaine Marijuana LSD Stimulant Tranquilizers Cocaine 1976 36.0 3.8 8.6 3.2 4.2 21.7 3.0 9.1 5.3 2.3 1977 38.1 3.7 8.7 3.6 4.9 23.5 2.7 9.8 6.1 3.3 1978 41.0 4.3 9.4 2.7 6.0 24.9 3.3 10.0 5.7 3.8 1979 39.9 4.2 10.5 3.1 8.5 25.1 3.0 10.0 2.0 5.1 1980 38.8 4.6 11.1 2.8 7.9 23.8 2.8 11.4 4.8 5.0 1981 38.4 4.8 13.8 3.0 8.3 22.9 3.2 14.9 5.0 5.8 1982 36.4 4.7 10.7 1.8 8.2 21.1 3.0 10.8 3.2 5.5 1983 31.0 4.2 8.9 1.7 6.2 19.1 2.4 9.4 2.9 4.3 1984 30.0 3.3 7.4 1.1 7.4 19.2 2.2 8.3 2.6 5.2 1985 30.7 3.1 6.5 1.7 9.2 18.9 2.2 7.4 3.0 5.8 1986 29.6 3.4 4.9 1.3 9.7 16.1 2.6 5.6 3.1 6.2 1987 27.3 3.4 3.9 0.9 7.0 16.2 2.1 4.9 2.9 4.3 1988 26.0 3.1 3.1 0.8 5.2 14.0 2.8 3.6 2.2 4.3 1989 21.2 2.5 2.6 0.6 3.7 11.5 1.9 3.4 1.5 2.0 1990 21.6 3.8 2.9 1.0 3.3 11.6 2.5 2.8 1.7 2.1 1991 17.7 3.6 1.8 0.6 1.8 9.6 2.3 3.0 1.5 1.2 1992 16.4 3.8 1.8 0.5 1.7 8.8 2.4 2.5 1.6 1.1 1993 19.3 5.4 2.5 0.5 1.6 10.4 3.3 3.2 1.8 1.4 1994 23.7 4.2 2.2 0.6 1.6 13.4 3.3 4.0 1.7 1.1 1995 27.5 5.4 2.8 0.9 2.2 15.3 3.4 3.4 1.7 1.7 1996 27.2 4.8 2.5 1.0 2.0 15.6 3.8 3.9 1.5 1.0 1997 31.6 6.6 3.8 1.7 3.5 19.4 4.4 4.6 1.9 2.2 NOTE: "School" was not defined for the questionnaire respondent. Population sizes are not available. Response rates for this suvey do not meet NCES standards. See table B1 for details. SOURCE: University of Michigan, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, Monitoring the Future Study, 1976 to 1997. Special tabulation provided by Monitoring the Future. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See printed version or acrobat file to view standard error tables for Supplemental tables above. Appendix A. School practices and policies related to safety and discipline ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A1-Percentage of public schools reporting that they have a zero tolerance policy for various specified student offenses, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Types of offenses Weapons other School characteristics Violence Firearms than fire Alcohol Drugs Tobacco All public schools 79 94 91 87 88 79 Instructional level Elementary school 79 93 91 87 88 82 Middle school 75 95 90 86 90 77 High school 80 96 92 86 89 72 School enrollment Less than 300 76 93 89 84 84 76 300-999 79 94 91 88 89 82 1,000 or more 86 98 93 85 92 72 Locale City 87 97 95 89 91 83 Urban fringe 82 95 90 88 90 80 Town 71 90 86 82 83 77 Rural 76 94 92 88 89 78 Region Northeast 78 89 90 83 84 79 Southeast 83 95 89 90 92 80 Central 72 93 88 82 83 75 West 83 97 95 91 93 83 Percent minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 71 92 88 82 83 75 5-19 percent 79 94 92 89 90 80 20-49 percent 83 95 90 87 89 79 50 percent or more 85 97 94 90 92 83 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch Less than 20 percent 76 92 88 86 87 77 20-34 percent 77 94 90 87 88 82 35-49 percent 79 97 95 89 92 81 70-74 percent 80 95 90 85 88 79 75 percent or more 84 95 93 87 89 81 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A2-Percentage of public schools reporting that students were required to wear school uniforms, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 School characteristics Uniforms required All public school 3 Instructional level Elementary school 4 Middle school 4 High school (*) School enrollment Less than 300 -- 300-999 4 1,000 or more 8 Locale City 9 Urban fringe 6 Town (*) Rural (*) Region Northeast 1 Southeast 4 Central 2 West 6 Percent minority enrollment Less than 5 percent (*) 5-19 percent -- 20-49 percent 2 50 percent or more 13 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch Less than 20 percent (*) 20-34 percent 1 35-49 percent 2 70-74 percent 5 75 percent or more 11 *Less than 0.5 percent. --No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some students with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Table A3-Percentage of public schools reporting that they use various types of security measures at their schools, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Closed Students campus Random must pass for most Controlled Controlled metal through Visitors students access to access to One or detector metal must during school school more drug checks on detectors School characteristics sign in lunch buildings grounds sweeps students each day All public schools 96 80 53 24 19 4 1 Instructional level Elementary school 96 76 57 25 5 1 (*) Middle school 96 93 51 22 36 7 1 High school 97 78 40 25 45 9 2 School enrollment Less than 300 91 67 40 16 22 (*) 1 300-999 98 84 57 24 15 4 1 1,000 or more 99 82 55 49 34 15 3 Locale City 100 81 62 35 12 8 2 Urban fringe 98 85 68 31 13 3 (*) Town 96 77 49 20 23 2 1 Rural 92 75 33 13 27 2 (*) Region Northeast 98 83 70 30 6 1 (*) Southeast 99 86 52 28 24 9 1 Central 95 76 48 12 17 1 1 West 94 76 46 31 25 4 1 Percent minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 94 77 42 14 17 (*) -- 5-19 percent 97 81 55 22 23 1 (*) 20-49 percent 98 77 55 27 18 6 (*) 50 percent or more 97 84 63 38 18 9 4 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch Less than 20 percent 94 74 50 18 17 1 -- 20-34 percent 99 77 51 19 20 3 (*) 35-49 percent 96 80 49 25 22 5 (*) 70-74 percent 95 85 57 27 22 4 1 75 percent or more 97 83 58 37 13 8 5 *Less than 0.5 percent. --No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some students with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A4-Percentage of public schools reporting that various levels of police or other law enforcement representatives were present during a typical week, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Police or other law enforcement representatives Stationed at school Not stationed None stationed 30 hours 10-29 1-9 a typical week at school School characteristics or more hours hours available as needed during 1996-97 All public schools 6 1 3 12 78 Instructional level Elementary school 1 1 1 8 89 Middle school 10 3 5 17 65 High school 19 2 6 18 54 School enrollment Less than 300 1 (*) 1 9 89 300-999 4 1 3 12 80 1,000 or more 39 5 7 15 34 Locale City 13 4 3 11 69 Urban fringe 7 1 2 11 80 Town 5 1 4 11 78 Rural 1 (*) 2 14 83 Region Northeast 6 (*) 2 11 81 Southeast 9 2 2 11 77 Central 4 2 3 11 81 West 7 1 4 14 74 Percent minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 1 1 3 10 85 5-19 percent 6 1 3 10 80 20-49 percent 7 1 2 13 77 50 percent or more 13 3 3 14 67 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch Less than 20 percent 5 1 4 10 79 20-34 percent 7 1 2 10 80 35-49 percent 5 (*) 3 12 80 70-74 percent 6 2 1 13 78 75 percent or more 8 2 4 14 72 *Less than 0.5 percent. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A6-Number and percentage of schools in which specified disciplinary actions were taken against students, total number of actions taken, and percentage of specific disciplinary actions taken against students, by type of infraction: 1996-97 Total number Percent of schools of schools Number of actions taken taking one or taking one or Total number Transfers to Out-of-school more of these more of these of these alternative suspensions specified specified specified schools or lasting 5 or Infraction actions actions actionstaken Expulsions programs more days Possession or use of a firearm 4,170 5 16,587 5,143 3,301 8,144 Possession or use of a weapon 16,740 22 58,554 13,698 12,943 31,970 other than a firearm Possession, distribution, or use of 20,960 27 170,464 30,522 34,255 105,723 alcohol or drugs, including tobacco Physical attacks or fights 30,160 39 330,696 50,961 62,108 217,627 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A7-Standard errors for table A1: Percentage of public schools reporting that they have a zero tolerance policy for various specified student offenses, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Types of offenses Weapons other School characteristics Violence Firearms than firearms Alcohol Drugs Tobacco All public schools 1.6 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.5 Instructional level Elementary school 2.4 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.8 2.1 Middle school 2.3 1.4 1.7 2.0 1.8 2.3 High school 2.0 1.1 1.5 2.2 1.9 2.4 School enrollment Less than 300 3.8 2.7 3.1 3.6 3.6 3.8 300-999 1.8 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.5 1,000 or more 2.4 0.7 1.8 2.3 1.7 2.8 Locale City 2.5 1.4 1.6 2.2 2.1 2.3 Urban fringe 2.7 1.5 2.2 2.4 2.2 2.6 Town 3.2 2.4 2.5 2.7 2.7 3.1 Rural 3.5 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.9 Region Northeast 3.6 2.5 2.4 2.9 2.9 3.6 Southeast 2.6 1.3 2.1 1.5 1.4 2.7 Central 3.4 2.1 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.3 West 2.3 1.3 1.5 1.9 1.8 2.0 Percent minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 3.4 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.2 5-19 percent 3.9 1.8 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.9 20-49 percent 2.4 1.8 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.5 50 percent or more 2.2 1.2 1.4 1.9 1.9 2.1 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch Less than 20 percent 3.4 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.7 3.0 20-34 percent 3.7 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.2 35-49 percent 4.2 1.8 1.9 2.8 2.8 3.2 70-74 percent 3.2 1.8 2.3 3.1 2.8 3.2 75 percent or more 3.6 2.2 2.4 3.2 3.2 3.4 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A8-Standard errors for table A2: Percentage of public schools reporting that students were required to wear school uniforms, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 School characteristics Uniforms required All public schools 0.6 Instructional level Elementary school 0.9 Middle school 0.8 High school - School enrollment Less than 300 -- 300-999 0.9 1,000 or more 2.2 Locale City 1.9 Urban fringe 1.8 Town - Rural - Region Northeast 0.9 Southeast 1.4 Central 1.0 West 1.4 Percent minority enrollment Less than 5 percent - 5-19 percent -- 20-49 percent 1.0 50 percent or more 2.3 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch Less than 20 percent - 20-34 percent 0.7 35-49 percent 1.2 70-74 percent 1.6 75 percent or more 2.6 -Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent. --No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some students with these characteristics had a different sample been drawn. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A9-Standard errors for table A3: Percentage of public schools reporting that they used various types of security measures at their schools, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Closed Students campus Random must pas for most Controlled Controlled metal through Visitors students access to access to One or detector metal must during school school more drug checks on detector School characteristics sign in lunch buildings grounds sweeps students each day All public schools 0.9 1.7 1.9 1.5 1.1 0.4 0.3 Instructional level Elementary school 1.4 2.5 2.8 2.3 1.3 0.5 - Middle school 1.2 1.7 2.7 1.9 2.4 1.0 0.4 High school 1.0 2.2 2.3 2.0 3.2 1.1 0.7 School enrollment Less than 300 3.0 3.9 3.7 3.2 3.2 - 0.4 300-999 0.6 1.8 2.4 2.1 1.1 0.6 0.4 1,000 or more 0.5 2.5 3.3 3.3 2.8 1.9 0.9 Locale City - 2.9 3.2 3.7 1.0 1.0 0.5 Urban fringe 1.2 2.8 3.6 3.6 1.5 0.8 - Town 1.5 3.6 3.7 2.7 2.8 0.8 0.8 Rural 2.4 3.4 3.8 2.8 3.0 1.0 - Region Northeast 1.2 4.0 3.9 3.9 1.2 0.5 - Southeast 0.9 2.8 3.9 2.8 2.4 1.4 0.7 Central 1.5 3.3 3.2 2.6 2.4 0.3 0.3 West 1.8 3.9 3.8 2.9 2.4 0.9 0.7 Percent minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 2.3 3.3 3.6 2.6 2.4 - -- 5-19 percent 1.1 3.2 3.9 3.0 2.6 0.7 - 20-49 percent 0.9 3.9 4.0 3.2 2.5 1.2 - 50 percent or more 1.6 3.2 4.1 3.8 2.1 1.3 1.2 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch Less than 20 percent 2.4 3.5 3.6 2.7 2.2 0.5 -- 20-34 percent 0.5 3.6 4.6 3.5 3.0 0.8 - 35-49 percent 2.1 3.2 5.0 3.0 3.0 1.3 - 70-74 percent 1.9 4.0 4.4 3.9 2.9 0.8 0.4 75 percent or more 1.7 4.5 5.1 5.0 2.2 1.6 1.5 -Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or 100 percent. --No cases are reported in this cell, although the event defined by this cell could have been reported by some student of theses characteristics had a different sample been drawn. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A10-Standard errors for table A4: Percentage of public schools reporting that various levels of police or other law enforcement representatives were present during a typical week, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Police or other law enforcement representatives Stationed at school Not stationed during None stationed 30 hours 10-29 1-9 a typical week, but at school School characteristics or more hours hours available as needed during 1996-97 All public schools 0.4 0.3 0.4 1.0 1.1 Instructional level Elementary school 0.5 0.4 0.6 1.4 1.5 Middle school 1.3 0.8 1.1 1.9 2.4 High school 1.6 0.7 1.0 2.1 2.9 School enrollment Less than 300 0.4 - 0.5 2.4 2.8 300-999 0.6 0.4 0.6 1.2 1.3 1,000 or more 2.6 1.4 1.2 2.0 3.2 Locale City 1.4 1.2 0.8 2.9 3.1 Urban fringe 1.0 0.2 0.6 1.9 2.2 Town 0.9 0.5 1.1 1.6 1.9 Rural 0.5 - 0.8 2.3 2.5 Region Northeast 1.6 - 0.9 2.0 2.5 Southeast 1.1 0.8 0.8 2.1 2.5 Central 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.9 2.1 West 0.9 0.5 0.8 2.1 2.6 Percent minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 0.3 0.3 0.8 1.7 1.8 5-19 percent 0.9 0.3 0.8 1.8 2.3 20-49 percent 0.9 0.4 0.8 2.7 3.2 50 percent or more 1.7 1.3 0.9 2.6 3.1 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch Less than 20 percent 0.8 0.5 1.0 1.8 2.2 20-34 percent 1.0 0.5 0.7 1.9 2.3 35-49 percent 1.2 - 1.1 2.9 3.3 70-74 percent 1.2 0.9 0.4 2.6 3.2 75 percent or more 2.0 1.3 1.4 3.7 4.4 -Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on a statistic estimated at less than 0.5 percent or at 100 percent. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A11-Standard errors for table A5: Percentage of public schools reporting formal school violence prevention or reduction programs or efforts, by selected school characteristics: 1996-97 Percent of schools with: Any Only 1-day Only ongoing Both 1-day and School characteristics programs programs programs ongoing programs All public schools 1.5 1.2 1.6 1.4 Instructional level Elementary school 2.3 1.6 2.5 2.5 Middle school 2.0 1.5 1.9 2.8 High school 2.2 2.4 1.8 2.1 School enrollment Less than 300 4.2 3.0 4.0 4.0 300-999 1.6 1.2 1.9 1.8 1,000 or more 2.8 1.5 2.5 3.7 Locale City 2.6 1.4 3.3 3.6 Urban fringe 3.0 1.3 3.1 3.3 Town 3.5 2.3 3.1 3.1 Rural 3.2 3.2 2.9 3.3 Region Northeast 4.4 2.3 4.0 4.1 Southeast 2.5 2.8 3.4 3.7 Central 3.3 1.7 2.7 3.6 West 2.8 2.3 2.5 2.8 Percent minority enrollment Less than 5 percent 3.7 2.0 2.8 3.6 5-19 percent 3.5 1.9 2.5 3.1 20-49 percent 2.7 2.6 3.7 3.7 50 percent or more 2.7 2.5 3.0 3.4 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch Less than 20 percent 3.0 1.5 2.9 3.4 20-34 percent 3.0 2.0 3.7 3.9 35-49 percent 4.2 3.5 4.6 3.8 70-74 percent 3.6 3.2 3.8 3.9 75 percent or more 3.4 3.8 4.3 4.6 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table A12-Standard errors for table A6: Number and percentage of schools in which specified disciplinary actions were taken against students, total number of actions taken, and percentage of specific disciplinary actions taken against students, by type of infraction: 1996-97 Total number Percent of schools of schools Number of actions taken taking one or taking one or Total number Transfers to Out-of-school more of these more of these of these alternative suspensions specified specified specified schools or lasting 5 or Infraction actions actions actions taken Expulsions programs more days Possession or use of a firearm 480.6 0.6 3,778.2 1,094 1,139 2,495 Possession or use of a weapon 969.1 1.3 3,781.8 1,091 1,304 2,714 other than a firearm Possession, distribution, or use 782.7 1.0 8,734.6 2,767 4,129 6,234 alcohol or drugs, including tobacco Physical attacks or fights 1,081.4 1.4 15,964.2 5,537 8,125 12,087 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, "Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence," FRSS 63, 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix B. Technical Notes General Information The information presented in this report was obtained from many data sources, including databases from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and the Survey Research Center (SRC) of the University of Michigan. While some of the data were collected from universe surveys, most were gathered by sample surveys. Some questions from different surveys may appear the same, but they were actually asked of different populations of students (e.g., high school seniors or students in grades 9 through 12); in different years; about experiences that occurred within different periods of times (e.g., in the past 4 weeks or during the past 12 months); and at different locations (e.g., in school or at home). Readers of this report should take particular care when comparing data from the different data sources. Because of the variation in collection procedures, timing, phrasing of questions, and so forth, the results from the different sources may not be strictly comparable. After introducing the data sources used for this report, the next section discusses the accuracy of estimates and describes the statistical procedures used. Sources of Data Table B1 presents some key information for each of the data sets used in the report, including the survey year, target population, response rates, and sample sizes. The remainder of the section briefly describes each data set and provides directions for obtaining more information. The exact wording of the interview questions used to construct the indicators are presented in table B2. National Household Education Survey (NHES) The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics that provides descriptive data on the condition of education in the United States. It has been conducted in 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1996. For each year, the survey covered two substantive components addressing education-related topics. One topic that the 1993 survey focused on was school safety and discipline, covering information on the school learning environment, discipline policy, safety at school, victimization, availability and use of alcohol/drugs, and alcohol/drug education. Table B1--Descriptions of data sources and samples used in the report Data source: National Household Education Survey (NCES) Target population: A nationally representative sample of students enrolled in grades 6 through 12 in public and private schools at the time of the interview. Year of survey: 1993 Response rate (%): 68 (1)(2) Sample size: 6,504 Data source: Schools and Staffing Survey (NCES) Target population: A nationally representative sample of public and private school teachers from grades K through 12. Year of survey: 1993 1994 Response rate (%): 84 (public)(1) 73 (private)(1) Sample size: 47,105 public 8,372 private Data source: Youth Risk Behavior Survey (CDC) Target population: A nationally representative sample of students 1993 enrolled in grades 9 through 12 in public and private schools at the time of the survey. Year of survey: 1993, 1995, 1997 Response rate (%): 70(3)in 1993 60(3),(5) in 1995 69(3),(5) in 1997 Sample size: 16,296 in 1993 10,904 in 1995 16,262 in 1997 Data source: FRSS Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey (NCES) Target population: A nationally representative sample of regular public elementary, middle, and secondary schools. Year of survey: 1996 1997 Response rate (%): 89(1) Sample size: 1,234 Data source: National Crime Victimization Survey (BJS) Target population: A nationally representative sample of individuals 12 years of age and older living in households and group quarters. Year of survey: 1992 1996 (Annual) Response rate (%): About 86(3) Sample size: About 90,000 Data source: School Crime Supplement (BJS/NCES) Target population: A nationally representative sample of students ages 12 through 19 enrolled in public private schools during the 6 months prior to the interview. Year of survey: 1989, 1995 Response rate (%): 83(3) in 1989 74(3) in 1995 Sample size: 10,449 in 1989 9,954 in 1995 Data source: Monitoring the Future (SRC, University of Michigan) Target population: A nationally representative sample of high school seniors who were enrolled in school at the time of the survey. Year of survey: 1976 1996 (Annual) Response rate (%): 46 67(1),(5) Sample size: 15,483 18,924(4) Data source: Data on school-associated violent deaths, from S. P. Kachur et al., "School-Associated Violent Deaths in the United States, 1992 to 1994," Journal of the American Medical Association 275 (22) (1996): 1729 1733. Target population: Any homicide or suicide in which the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a functioning elementary or secondary school in the United States from July 1, 1992 to June 30, 1994. Year of survey: 1992 1994 Response rate (%): -- Sample size: -- --------------------------- Notes: Not applicable. 1 Weighted response rate. 2 Bias analyses by NCES found that estimates from this survey are not substantially affected by differential nonresponse. 3 Unweighted response rate. 4 This is the total sample of 12th-grade students. These students were divided into six subsamples, and each subsample was administered a different form of the questionnaire. 5 The response rates for these surveys do not meet the NCES standard of 70 percent for the total response rate, and an analysis of the bias caused by nonresponse has not been conducted by NCES. As a result, readers should use caution when interpreting the results from these surveys. ---------------------------- Unlike traditional student- or school-based data collections, the NHES collected data from households. The data collection involved a three-stage process. First, using random digit dialing (RDD) telephone survey methods, a representative sample of households in the 50 states and the District of Columbia was selected. Within these households, individuals who met predetermined criteria were then screened. Finally, eligible persons were given detailed or extended interviews by computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) procedures. Two groups of individuals completed interviews for the School Safety and Discipline component of NHES:93: 12,680 parents of children enrolled in grades 3 through 12, and 6,504 students enrolled in grades 6 through 12. This report focuses only on the responses of students in grades 6 through 12; the overall weighted student response rate was 68 percent. The item nonresponse rate was generally low, and items with missing data were imputed. As a result, no missing data remain in the data set. For additional information about the School Safety and Discipline component of NHES:93, refer to J.M. Brick, M. Collins, M.J. Nolin, P. Ha,M. Levinsohn, and K. Chandler, 1994, National Household Education Survey of 1993, School Safety and Discipline Data File User's Manual (NCES 94-193), or contact: Kathryn A. Chandler National Center for Education Statistics 555 New Jersey Avenue NW Washington, DC 20208 Telephone: (202) 219-1767 E-mail: Kathryn_Chandler@ed.gov Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) This report draws upon data on teacher victimization from the 1993 94 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS:93 94), which provides national- and state-level data on public and private schools, principals, school districts, and teachers. The 1993 94 survey was the third in a series of cross-sectional school-focused surveys, following ones conducted in 1990 91 and 1987 88. It consisted of four sets of linked questionnaires, including surveys of schools, the principals of each selected school, a subsample of teachers within each school, and public school districts. Data were collected by multistage sampling. Stratified by state, control, type, association membership, and grade level (for private schools), schools were sampled first. Approximately 9,900 public schools and 3,300 private schools were selected to participate in the 1993 94 SASS. Within each school, teachers were further stratified into one of five teacher types in the following hierarchy: 1) Asian or Pacific Islander; 2) American Indian, Aleut, or Eskimo; 3) bilingual/ESL; 4) new teachers; and 5) experienced teachers. Within each teacher stratum, teachers were selected systematically with equal probability. Approximately 56,700 public school teachers and 11,500 private school teachers were sampled. This report focuses on teachers' responses. The overall weighted response rates were 84 percent for public school teachers and 73 percent for private school teachers. In the Public School Teacher Questionnaire, 91 percent of the items had a response rate of 90 percent or more, and in the Private School Teacher Questionnaire, 89 percent of the items had this level of response. Values were imputed for questionnaire items that should have been answered but were not. For additional information about SASS, refer to R. Arbramson, C. Cole, S. Fondelier, B.Jackson, R. Parmer, and S. Kaufman, 1996, 1993 94 Schools and Staffing Survey: Sample Design and Estimation (NCES 96-089), or contact: Kerry Gruber National Center for Education Statistics 555 New Jersey Avenue NW Washington, DC 20208 Telephone: (202) 219-1461 E-mail:Kerry_Gruber@ed.gov National School-Based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) The National School-Based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is one component of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), an epidemiological surveillance system that was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the prevalence of youth behaviors that most influence health. The YRBS focuses on priority health-risk behaviors established during youth that result in the most significant mortality, morbidity, disability, and social problems during both youth and adulthood. This report uses 1993, 1995, and 1997 YRBS data. The YRBS used a three-stage cluster sampling design to produce a nationally representative sample of 9th- through 12th-grade students in the United States. The target population consisted of all public and private school students in grades 9 through 12 in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The first-stage sampling frame included selecting primary sampling units (PSUs) from strata formed on the basis of urbanization and the relative percentage of black and Hispanic students in the PSU. These PSUs are either large counties or groups of smaller, adjacent counties. At the second stage, schools were selected with probability proportional to school enrollment size. Schools with substantial numbers of black and Hispanic students were sampled at relatively higher rates than all other schools. The final stage of sampling consisted of randomly selecting within each chosen school at each grade 9 through 12 one or two intact classes of a required subject, such as English or social studies. All students in selected classes were eligible to participate. Approximately 16,300, 10,900, and 16,300 students were selected to participate in the 1993 survey, the 1995 survey,and the 1997 survey, respectively. The overall response rate was 70 percent for the 1993 survey, 60 percent for the 1995 survey, and 69 percent for the 1997 survey. The weights were developed to adjust for nonresponse and the oversampling of black and Hispanic students in the sample. The final weights were normalized so that only weighted proportions of students (not weighted counts of students) in each grade matched national population projections. For additional information about the YRBS,contact: Laura Kann Division of Adolescent and School Health National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mailstop K-33 4770 Buford Highway NE Atlanta, Georgia 30341 Telephone: (404) 488-5330 Fast Response Survey System: Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence The Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey was conducted through the NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) during the spring and summer of 1997. Generally, the FRSS is a survey system designed to collect small amounts of issue-oriented data with minimal burden on respondents and within a relatively short time frame. The FRSS Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey focused on incidents of specific crimes/offenses and a variety of specific discipline issues in public schools. The survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of regular public elementary, middle, and high schools in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Special education, alternative and vocational schools, schools in the territories, and schools that taught only prekindergarten, kindergarten, or adult education were not included in the sample. The sample of public schools was selected from the 1993 94 NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) Public School Universe File. The sample was stratified by instructional level, locale, and school size. Within the primary strata, schools were also sorted by geographic region and by percent minority enrollment. The sample sizes were then allocated to the primary strata in rough proportion to the aggregate square root of the size of enrollment of schools in the stratum. A total of 1,415 schools were selected. Among them, 11 schools were found no longer to be in existence, and 1,234 schools completed the survey. In April 1997, questionnaires were mailed to school principals, who were asked to complete the survey or to have it completed by the person most knowledgeable about discipline issues at the school. The raw response rate was 88 percent (1,234 schools divided by the 1,404 eligible schools in the sample). The weighted overall response rate was 89 percent, and item nonresponse rates ranged from 0 percent to 0.9 percent. The weights were developed to adjust for the variable probabilities of selection and differential nonresponse and can be used to produce national estimates for regular public schools in the 1996 97 school year. For more information about the FRSS: Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey on School Violence, contact: Shelley Burns National Center for Education Statistics 555 New Jersey Avenue NW Washington, DC 20208 Telephone: (202) 219-1463 E-mail: Shelley_Burns@ed.gov National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), administered for the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics by the Bureau of the Census, is the nation's primary source of information on crime victimization and the victims of crime. Initiated in 1972 and redesigned in 1992, the NCVS collects detailed information on the frequency and nature of the crimes of rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, theft, household burglary, and motor vehicle theft experienced by Americans and their households each year. The survey measures crimes reported as well as those not reported to police. The NCVS sample consists of about 55,000 households, selected using a stratified, multi-stage cluster design. In the first stage, the primary sampling units (PSU's), consisting of counties or groups of counties, are selected. In the second stage, smaller areas, called Enumeration Districts (ED's) were selected from each sampled PSU. Finally, from selected ED's, clusters of four households, called segments, were selected for interview. At each stage, the selection was done proportionate to population size in order to create a self- weighting sample. The final sample was augmented to account for housing units constructed after the decennial Census. Within each sampled household, Census Bureau personnel interviewed all household members ages 12 and older to determine whether they had been victimized by the measured crimes during the 6 months preceding the interview. About 90,000 persons ages 12 and older are interviewed each 6 months. Households remain in sample for 3 years and are interviewed 7 times at 6-month intervals. The initial interview at each sample unit is used only to bound future interviews to establish a time frame to avoid duplication of crimesuncovered in these subsequent interviews. After theirseventh interview households are replaced by new samplehouseholds. The NCVS has consistently obtained aresponse rate of about 95 percent at the household level. During the study period, the completion ratesfor persons within households were about 91 percent. Thus,final response rates were about 86 percent. Weightswere developed to permit estimates for the total U.S.population 12 years and older. For more information about theNCVS, contact: Michael R. Rand Victimization Statistics U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics 810 7th Street NW Washington, DC 20531 Telephone: (202) 616-3494 E-mail: randm@ojp.usdoj.gov Internet: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ School Crime Supplement (SCS) Created as a supplement to the NCVS and co-designed by the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics, the School Crime Supplement (SCS) survey was conducted in 1989 and 1995 to collect additional information about school-related victimizations on a national level. The survey was designed to assist policymakers as well as academic researchers and practitioners at the federal, state, and local levels so that they can make informed decisions concerning crime in schools. The SCS asks students a number of key questions about their experiences with and perceptions of crime and violence that occurred inside their school, on school grounds, or on the way to or from school. Additional questions not included in the NCVS were also added to the SCS, such as those concerning preventive measures used by the school, students' participation in afterschool activities, students' perceptions of school rules, the presence of weapons and street gangs in school, and the availability of drugs and alcohol in school, as well as attitudinal questions relating to fear of victimization in school. In both 1989 and 1995, the SCS was conducted for a 6-month period from January through June in all households selected for the NCVS (see discussion above for information about the sampling design). Within these households, the eligible respondents for the SCS were those household members who were between the ages of 12 and 19, had attended school at any time during the 6 months preceding the interview, and were enrolled in a school that would help them advance toward eventually receiving a high school diploma. These persons were asked the supplemental questions in the SCS onlyafter completing their entire NCVS interview. A total of 10,449 students participated in the 1989 SCS, and 9,954 in the 1995SCS. In the 1989 and 1995 SCS, the household completion rateswere 97 percent and 95 percent, respectively, and thestudent completion rates were 86 percent and 78 percent,respectively. Thus, the overall SCS response rate(calculated by multiplying the household completion rate bythe student completion rate) was 83 percent in 1989 and 74percent in 1995. Response rates for most survey itemswere high mostly over 95 percent of all eligible respondents. The weights were developed to compensate fordifferential probabilities of selection and nonresponse. Theweighted data permit inferences about the 12- to 19-year-old student population who were enrolled in schoolsin 1989 and 1995. For more information about SCS,contact: Kathryn A. Chandler National Center for Education Statistics 555 New Jersey Avenue NW Washington, DC 20208 Telephone: (202) 219-1767 E-mail:Kathryn_Chandler@ed.gov Monitoring the Future (MTF) Monitoring the Future (MTF): A Continuing Study of American Youth is an annual, ongoing survey conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research to study changes in important values, behaviors, and lifestyle orientations of contemporary American youth. During the spring of each year beginning with the class of 1975, a large, nationally representative sample of high school seniors in the United States has been selected. The selected students are first administered the core questionnaire on drug use and demographics, and then randomly divided into six subgroups, each receiving one form of the questionnaire with a different subset of questions, addressing such topics as their attitudes toward education, social problems, occupational aims, marital and family plans, or deviant behavior and victimization. The sample selection involves three stages. The first stage selects geographic areas or primary sampling units (PSUs). These PSUs are developed by the Sampling Section of the Survey Research Center for use in the Center's nationwide interview studies. In the second stage, schools within PSUs are selected with a probability proportionate to the size of their senior class. In the third stage, up to about 400 seniors within each selected school are sampled. Each year, about 130 schools participate in the survey, and from these schools, about 16,000 high school seniors complete questionnaires. These students are divided into six subsamples consisting of an average of 2,700 respondents, and each subsample is administered a different form of the questionnaire. Since the inception of the study, the participation rate among schools has been between 60 and 80 percent, and thestudent response rate has been between 77 and 86 percent.For more information about Monitoring the Future, contact: Survey Research Center Institute for Social Research The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Data Source for School-Associated Violent Deaths This report draws upon data concerning school- associated violent deaths from an article entitled "School-Associated Violent Deaths in the United States, 1992 to 1994," published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1996.5 Using a descriptive case study methodology, the study was the first nationwide investigation of violent deaths associated with schools conducted in the United States. A "school-associated violent death" was defined as a homicide or suicide 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 class sessions at such a school, or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official school- sponsored event. The cases included the deaths of students and staff members as well as nonstudents. The investigation focused on deaths that occurred from July 1, 1992 through June 30, 1994. A total of 105 school-associated violent deaths were identified by the following sequential procedures: 1) tracking fatalities through a newspaper clipping service and informal voluntary reports from state and local education officers; 2) searching two computerized newspaper and broadcast media databases; 3) interviewing local press, law enforcement officers, or school officials who were familiar with each case; and 4) once cases were identified, obtaining further information about the deaths from official sources. ----- Table B2 -Wording of survey questions used to construct indicators NONFATAL STUDENT VICTIMIZATION Survey: National Crime Victimization Survey Questions: * (During the last 6 months) Was something belonging to you stolen, such as Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet, purse, briefcase, book? Bicycle or sports equipment? Or did anyone attempt to steal anything belonging to you? Response Categories: Yes / No; if Yes, then actual number of times * (Other than any incidents already mentioned,) Since ______, 19__ were you attacked or threatened or did you have something stolen from you At work or school? Or did anyone attempt to attack or attempt to steal anything belonging to you from any of these places? Response Categories: Yes / No; if Yes, then actual number of times * (Other than any incidents already mentioned,) Has anyone attacked or threatened you in any of the following ways: With any weapon, for instance, a gun or knife? With anything like a baseball bat, frying pan, scissors, or stick? By something thrown, such as a rock or bottle? Include any grabbing, punching, or choking? Any rape, attempted rape or other type of sexual attack? Any face to face threats? Or any attack or threat or use of force by anyone at all? (Please mention it even if you are not certain it was a crime) Response Categories: Yes / No; if Yes, then actual number of times * People often don't think of incidents committed by someone they know. (Other than any incidents already mentioned,) Did you have something stolen from you or were you attacked or threatened by someone at work or school? Response Categories: Yes / No; if Yes, then actual number of times * Incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual acts are often difficult to talk about. (Other than any incidents already mentioned,) Have you been forced or coerced to engage in unwanted sexual activity by: Someone you didn't know before? A casual acquaintance? Someone you know well? Response Categories: Yes / No; if Yes, then actual number of times Survey: School Crime Supplement Questions: * During the past six months, did anyone take money or things directly from you by force, weapon, or threats at school? Response Categories: Yes / No * During the past six months, did anyone steal something from your desk, locker, or some other place at school (other than incidents just mentioned)? Response Categories: Yes / No * Did anyone physically attack you at school during the past six months (other than the incidents just mentioned)? Response Categories: Yes / No Survey: Monitoring the Future Questions: * The next questions are about some things which may have happened to you while you were at school (inside or outside or in a school bus). During the last 12 months, how often ... Has something of yours (worth under $50) been stolen? Has something of yours (worth over $50) been stolen? Has someone deliberately damaged your property (your car, clothing, etc.)? Has someone injured you with a weapon (like a knife, gun, or club)? Has someone threatened you with a weapon, but not actually injured you? Has someone injured you on purpose without using a weapon? Has an unarmed person threatened you with injury, but not actually injured you? Response Categories: Not at all / Once / Twice / 3 or 4 times / 5 or more times Survey: National Household Education Survey Questions: * Did any incidents of bullying happen to you this school year? Response Categories: Yes / No VIOLENCE AND CRIME AT SCHOOL Survey: FRSS Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey Questions: * During the 1996 97 school year, how many incidents involving each type of the following crimes or offenses have occurred at your school? Only include incidents in which police or other law enforcement representatives were contacted. Murder Rape or other type of sexual battery Suicide Physical attack or fight with a weapon Physical attack or fight without a weapon Robbery Theft/larceny Vandalism Response Categories: Actual number of incidents in which police or other law enforcement representatives were contacted. NONFATAL TEACHER VICTIMIZATION Survey: National Crime Victimization Survey Questions: (See items under Nonfatal Student Victimization). Survey: Schools and Staffing Survey Questions: * Has a student (from this school) threatened to injure you in the past 12 months? * Has a student (from this school) physically attacked you in the past 12 months? Response Categories: Yes / No SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT Survey: Monitoring the Future Questions: * During the last four weeks, on how many days (if any) were you carrying a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club to school? * During the last four weeks, on how many days (if any) did you carry a gun? Response Categories: 0 day / 1 day / 2 days / 3 5 days / 6 9 days / 10 or more days Survey: Youth Risk Behavior Survey Questions: * During the past 30 days, on how many days did you carry a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club on school property? Response Categories: 0 day / 1 day / 2 3 days / 4 5 days / 6 or more days Survey: School Crime Supplement Questions: * How often are you afraid that someone will attack or harm you at school? Response Categories: Never / Almost never / Sometimes / Most of time * How often are you afraid that someone will attack or harm you on the way to and from school? Response Categories: Never / Almost never / Sometimes / Most of time * Did you stay away from any of the following places because you thought someone might attack or harm you there? The entrance into the school Any hallways or stairs in school Parts of the school cafeteria Any school rest rooms Other places inside the school building Response Categories: Yes / No * Are there any street gangs at your school? Response Categories: Yes / No / Don't Know Survey: FRSS Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey * Circle the number indicating to what extent, if any, each of the following has been a problem in your school during the 1996 97 school year: Student tardiness Student absenteeism/class cutting Physical conflicts among students Robbery or theft of items over $10 Vandalism of school property Student alcohol use Student drug use Sale of drugs on school grounds Student tobacco use Student possession of weapons Trespassing Verbal abuse of teachers Physical abuse of teachers Teacher absenteeism Teacher alcohol or drug use Racial tensions Gangs Response Categories: Serious / Moderate / Minor / Not a problem Survey: Monitoring the Future Questions: * When you used alcohol during the last year, how often did you use it in each of the following situations? At a party At your home (or apartment or dorm) At school Response Categories: Not at all / A few of the times / Some of the times / Most of the times / Every time * When you used marijuana or hashish during the last year, how often did you use it in each of the following situations? At a party At your home (or apartment or dorm) At school Response Categories: Not at all / A few of the times / Some of the times / Most of the times / Every time * When you used LSD during the last year, how often did you use it in each of the following situations? At a party At your home (or apartment or dorm) At school Response Categories: Not at all / A few of the times / Some of the times / Most of the times / Every time * When you used amphetamines during the last year, how often did you use it in each of the following situations? At a party At your home (or apartment or dorm) At school Response Categories: Not at all / A few of the times / Some of the times / Most of the times / Every time * When you used tranquilizers during the last year, how often did you use it in each of the following situations? At a party At your home (or apartment or dorm) At school Response Categories: Not at all / A few of the times / Some of the times / Most of the times / Every time * When you used cocaine during the last year, how often did you use it in each of the following situations? At a party At your home (or apartment or dorm) At school * When you used narcotics other than heroin during the last year, how often did you use it in each of the following situations? At a party At your home (or apartment or dorm) At school Response Categories: Not at all / A few of the times / Some of the times / Most of the times / Every time ------ Accuracy of Estimates The accuracy of any statistic is determined by the joint effects of "nonsampling" and "sampling" errors. Both types of error affect the estimates presented in this report. Several sources can contribute to nonsampling errors. For example, members of the population of interest are inadvertently excluded from the sampling frame; sampled members refuse to answer some of the survey questions (item nonresponse) or all of the survey questions (questionnaire nonresponse); mistakes are made during data editing, coding, or entry; the responses that respondents provide differ from the "true" responses; or measurement instruments such as tests or questionnaires fail to measure the characteristics they are intended to measure. Although nonsampling errors due to questionnaire and item nonresponse can be reduced somewhat by the adjustment of sample weights and imputation procedures, correcting nonsampling errors or gauging the effects of these errors is usually difficult. Sampling errors occur because observations are made on samples rather than on entire populations. Surveys of population universes are not subject to sampling errors. Estimates based on a sample will differ somewhat from those that would have been obtained by a complete census of the relevant population using the same survey instruments, instructions, and procedures. The standard error of a statistic is a measure of the variation due to sampling; it indicates the precision of the statistic obtained in a particular sample. In addition, the standard errors for two sample statistics can be used to estimate the precision of the difference between the two statistics and to help determine whether the difference based on the sample is large enough so that it represents the population difference. Most of the data used in this report were obtained from complex sampling designs rather than a simple random design. In these sampling designs, data were collected through stratification, clustering, unequal selection probabilities, or multistage sampling. These features of the sampling usually result in estimated statistics that are more variable (that is, have larger standard errors) than they would have been if they had been based on data from a simple random sample of the same size. Therefore, calculation of standard errors requires procedures that are markedly different from the ones used when the data are from a simple random sample. The Taylor series approximation technique or the balanced repeated replication (BRR) method was used to estimate most of the statistics and their standard errors in this report. Table B3 lists the various methods used to compute standard errors for different data sets. Standard error calculation for data from the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement, and Monitoring the Future relied on a different procedure. For statistics based on the NCVS and the SCS data, standard errors were derived from a formula developed by the Census Bureau, which consists of three generalized variance function (gvf) constant parameters that represent the curve fitted to the individual standard errors calculated using the Jackknife Repeated Replication technique. The formulas used to compute the adjusted standard errors associated with percentages or population counts can be found in table B3. For the statistics based on the Monitoring the Future data, their standard errors were derived from the published tables of confidence intervals in appendix A (pp. 313 322) of Monitoring the Future: Questionnaire Responses from the Nation's High School Seniors, 1995, by Lloyd D. Johnston, Jerald G. Bachman, and Patrick M. O'Malley, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, the University of Michigan, 1997. Generally, the table entries, when added to and subtracted from the observed percentage, establish the 95 percent confidence interval. The appendix presents specific guidelines for using the tables of confidence intervals and conducting statistical tests for the difference between two percentages. ----- Table B3--Methods used to calculate standard errors of statistics for different surveys Survey: National Crime Victimization Survey Year: 1992 to 1996 Method of calculation: Standard errors of crime level data and aggregated crime rates per 1,000 persons were calculated using three generalized variance function (gvf) constant parameters (denoted as a, b, and c) and formulas published in Appendix II, 144148) of "Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1994," Bureau of Justice Statistics, May 1997, NCJ-162126. The formula used to calculate standard errors of crime level data (x) is: sqrt(ax2 + bx + cx3/2), where x is the estimated number of personal crimes of interest, and a, b, and c are gvf constant parameters. The formula used to calculate standard errors of aggregated crime rates per 1,000 persons (r) is: sqrt[br(1000-r)/y + cr(sqrt(1000r)-r)/sqrt(y)], where r is the aggregate crime rate (i.e., 1000 * total crimes / total population), y is the aggregated base population, and a, b, and c are gvf constant parameters. Three gvf constant parameters associated with a specific year are: Year a b c 1992 -0.00015053 5,470 4.332 1993 -0.00007899 2,870 2.273 1994 -0.00006269 2,278 1.804 1995 -0.00006269 2,278 1.804 1996 -0.00006543 2,378 1.883 Aggregated data from 1992 to 96 -0.00002739 4,976 1.762 Survey: School Crime Supplement Year: 1989 and 1995 Method of calculation: Standard errors of percentage and population counts were calculated using three generalized variance function (gvf) constant parameters (denoted as a, b, and c) and formulas drawn from Students' Reports of School Crime: 1989 and 1995 (p. 26), March 1998, NCES 98-241. The formula used to calculate standard errors for percentages (p) is: sqrt [bp(1 p)/y + cp(sqrt(p)-p)/sqrt(y)], where p is the percentage or interest expressed as a proportion, y is the size of the population to which the percent applies, and b and c are gvf constant parameters. After the standard error is estimated, multiply it by 100 to make it applicable to the percentage. The formula used to calculate standard errors of population counts (x) is: sqrt(ax2 + bx + cx3/2), where x is the estimated number of students who experienced a given event, and a, b, c are gvf constant parameters. Three gvf constant parameters associated with a specific year are: Year a b c 1989 0.00001559 3,108 0.000 1995 0.00006269 2,278 1.804 Survey: National Household Education Survey Year: 1993 Method of calculation: Balance repeated replication method using replicate weights available from the data set. Survey: Monitoring the Future Year: 1976 to 1996 Method of calculation: Derived from the published tables of confidence intervals in appendix A (pp. 313 322) of "Monitoring the Future: Questionnaire Responses from the Nation's High School Seniors, 1995," by Lloyd D. Johnston, Jerald G. Bachman, and Patrick M. O'Malley, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 1997. Survey: Schools and Staffing Survey Year: 1993 1994 Method of calculation: Balance repeated replication method using replicate weights available from the data set. Survey: FRSS Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey Year: 1997 Method of calculation: Balance repeated replication method using replicate weights available from the data set. Survey: Youth Risk Behavior Survey Year: 1993, 1995, and 1997 Method of calculation: Taylor series approximation method using PSU and and 1997 strata variables available from the data set. ------- Statistical Procedures The comparisons in the text have been tested for statistical significance to ensure that the differences are larger than might be expected due to sampling variations. Unless otherwise noted, all statements cited in the report are statistically significant at the .05 level. Several test procedures were used, depending upon the type of data being analyzed and the nature of the statement being tested. The primary test procedure used in this report was the Student's "t" statistic, which tests the difference between two sample estimates, for example, between males and females. The formula used to compute the "t" statistic is as follows: t=E1-E2/sqrt se1 squared + se2 squared [Equation is not precisely reproducible in this format--see Acrobat Portable Document Format (.pdf) file or printed report] where E1 and E2 are the estimates to be compared and se1 and se2 are their corresponding standard errors. Note that this formula is valid only for independent estimates. When the estimates are not independent (for example, when comparing a total percentage with that for a subgroup included in the total), a covariance term (i.e., 2*se1*se2) must be added to the denominator of the formula: t=E1-E2/sqrt se1 squared + se2 squared + 2*se1*se2 [Equation is not precisely reproducible in this format--see Acrobat Portable Document Format (.pdf) file or printed report] Once the t value was computed, it was compared with the published tables of values at certain critical levels, called alpha levels. For this report, an alpha value of 0.05 was used, which has a t value of 1.96. If the t value was larger than 1.96, then the difference between the two estimates was statistically significant at the 95 percent level. When multiple comparisons between more than two groups were made, for example, between racial/ethnic groups, a Bonferroni adjustment to the significance level was used to ensure that the significance level for the tests as a group was at the .05 level. Generally, when multiple statistical comparisons are made, it becomes increasingly likely that an indication of a population difference is erroneous. Even when there is no difference in the population, at an alpha of .05, there is still a 5 percent chance of concluding that an observed t value representing one comparison in the sample is large enough to be statistically significant. As the number of comparisons increase, the risk of making such an erroneous inference also increases. The Bonferroni procedure corrects the significance (or alpha) level for the total number of comparisons made within a particular classification variable. For each classification variable, there are (K*(K l)/2) possible comparisons (or nonredundant pairwise combinations), where K is the number of categories. The Bonferroni procedure divides the alpha level for a single t test by the number of possible pairwise comparisons in order to produce a new alpha level that is corrected for the fact that multiple contrasts are being made. As a result, the t value for a certain alpha level (e.g., .05) increases, which makes it more difficult to claim that the difference observed is statistically significant. Finally, a linear trend test was used when a statement describing a linear trend, rather than the differences between two discrete categories, was made. This test allows one to examine whether, for example, the percentage of students using drugs increased (or decreased)over time or whether the percentage of students who reported being physically attacked in school increased (or decreased) with their age. Based on a regression with,for example, student's age as the independent variable and whether a student was physically attacked as the dependent variable, the test involves computing the regression coefficient (b) and its corresponding standarderror (se). The ratio of these two (b/se) is the test statistic t. If t is greater than 1.96, the critical valuefor one comparison at the .05 alpha level, the hypothesis that there is a linear relationship between student's age and being physically attacked is not rejected. Appendix C. Glossary of Terms GENERAL TERMS Crime Any violation of a statute or regulation or any act that the government has determined is injurious to the public, including felonies and misdemeanors. Such violation may or may not involve violence, and it may affect individuals or property. Incident A specific criminal act or offense involving one or more victims and one or more offenders. Prevalence The percentage of the population directly affected by crime in a given period. This rate is based upon specific information elicited directly from the respondent regarding crimes committed against his or her person, against his or her property, or against an individual bearing a unique relationship to him or her. It is not based upon perceptions and beliefs about, or reactions to, criminal acts. School An education institution consisting of one or more of grades K through 12. School crime Any criminal activity that is committed on school property. School property School buildings, school buses, school grounds, and places that are holding school-sponsored events, even though they are not officially on school grounds. School year The 12-month period of time denoting the beginning and ending dates for school accounting purposes, usually from July 1 through June 30. SPECIFIC TERMS USED IN VARIOUS SURVEYS National Crime Victimization Survey Aggravated assault Attack or attempted attack with a weapon, regardless of whether or not an injury occurs, and attack without a weapon when serious injury results. Rape Forced sexual intercourse including both psychological coercion as well as physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by the offender(s). This category also includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign object such as a bottle. Robbery Completed or attempted theft, directly from a person, of property or cash by force or threat of force, with or without a weapon, and with or without injury. Rural A place not located inside the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). This category includes a variety of localities, ranging from sparsely populated rural areas to cities with populations of less than 50,000. Serious violent crime Rape, sexual assault, robbery, or aggravated assault. Sexual assault A wide range of victimizations, separate from rape or attempted rape. These crimes include attacks or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact between the victim and offender. Sexual assault may or may not involve force and includes such things as grabbing or fondling. Sexual assault also includes verbal threats. Simple assault Attack without a weapon resulting either in no injury, minor injury, or in undetermined injury requiring less than 2 days of hospitalization. Also includes attempted assault without a weapon. Suburban A county or counties containing a central city, plus any contiguous counties that are linked socially and economically to the central city. On the data tables, suburban areas are categorized as those portions of metropolitan areas situated "outside central cities." Theft Completed or attempted theft of property or cash without personal contact. Victimization A crime as it affects one individual person or household. For personal crimes, the number of victimizations is equal to the number of victims involved. The number of victimizations may be greater than the number of incidents because more than one person may be victimized during an incident. Victimization rate A measure of the occurrence of victimizations among a specific population group. Violent crime Rape, sexual assault, robbery, or assault. Urban The largest city (or grouping of cities) in an MSA. SCHOOL CRIME SUPPLEMENT At school In the school building, on the school grounds, or on a school bus. Property crime Theft of property from a student's desk, locker, or other locations at school. Violent crime Physical attacks or taking property from the student directly by force, weapons, or threats. National Household Education Survey At school In the school, at school activities, or on the way to or from school. Bully Treat other persons abusively or affect others by means of force or coercion. For example, pick on others or make other students do things like give them money. Rural Places not classified as urban are rural. Urban An urban area in an urbanized area comprising a place and the adjacent densely settled surrounding territory that together have a minimum population of 50,000 people. Suburban A suburban area is an urban area out of an urbanized area that includes incorporated or unincorporated places outside of an urbanized area with a minimum population of 2,500 people. Youth Risk Behavior Survey Weapon Any instrument or object used with the intent to threaten, injure, or kill. Examples of weapons appearing in the questionnaire include guns, knives, and clubs. FRSS Principal/School Disciplinarian Survey At school In school buildings, on school buses, on school grounds, or at places that hold school-sponsored events or activities, but are not officially on school grounds. Central region Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. City A central city of an MSA. Elementary school A school that has a low grade of 3 or less and a high grade of 1 through 8. Free/reduced-price The percent of students enrolled in the school who are eligible for the federally lunch funded free or reduced-price lunch program. High school/combined A school that has a low grade of 9 through 12 and a high grade of 10 through 12. Schools that do not precisely meet these qualifications are classified as "combined" and are included in the analyses with high schools. Less serious or nonviolent crime Physical attack or fight without a weapon, theft or larceny, or vandalism. Minority enrollment The percent of students enrolled in the school whose race or ethnicity is classified as one of the following: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, black, or Hispanic, based on data in the 1993-94 Common Core of Data (CCD) file. Middle school A school that has a low grade of 4 through 9 and a high grade of 4 through 9. Northeast region Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Robbery The taking or attempting to take anything of value that is owned by another person or organization, under confrontational circumstances by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear. Physical attack or fight An actual and intentional touching or striking of another person against his or her will, or the intentional causing of bodily harm to an individual. This category should be used only when the attack is serious enough to warrant calling the police or other law enforcement representative. Rural A place with a population less than 2,500 and defined as rural by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. School enrollment Total number of students enrolled as defined by CCD. Serious violent crime Murder, suicide, rape or sexual battery, physical attack or fight with a weapon, or robbery. Sexual battery An incident that includes rape, fondling, indecent liberties, child molestation, or sodomy. Southeast region Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Theft or larceny The unlawful taking of another person's property without personal confrontation, threat, violence, or bodily harm. Town A place not within an MSA, but with a population greater than or equal to 2,500 and defined as urban by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Urban fringe A place within an MSA of a central city, but not primarily its central city. Vandalism The damage or destruction of school property. West region Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Monitoring the Future Alcoholic beverage Drink (such as beer, wine, wine coolers, and liquor) that contains ethanol, which may intoxicate a person who uses it. Cocaine A bitter crystalline alkaloid obtained from coca leaves that is used illicitly for its euphoric effects and that may result in a compulsive psychological need. Cocaine can be taken in "crack" form, where a user inhales the fumes from smoking, heating, or burning it. LSD A psychedelic drug that induces psychotic symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia. LSD is sometimes called "acid." Marijuana Dried leaves and flowering tops of the female hemp plant that yield THC and are smoked in cigarettes for their intoxicating effect. Marijuana is sometimes called "grass," "pot," or "dope." Tranquilizers Drugs prescribed by doctors to calm people down, quiet their nerves, or relax their muscles. They include the following drugs: Librium, Valium, Miltown, Equanil, Meprobamate, Serax, Atarax, Tranxene, and Vistaril. Weapon Any instrument or object used with the intent to threaten, injure, or kill. Examples of weapons appearing in the questionnaire include guns, knives, and clubs. Schools and Staffing Survey Central city A large central city (a central city of an MSA with population greater than or equal to 400,000, or a population density greater than or equal to 6,000 per square mile) or a mid-size central city (a central city of an MSA, but not designated as a large central city). Elementary school An elementary school teacher is one who, when asked for the grades taught, teachers checked: 1) only "ungraded" and was designated as an elementary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school; 2) 6th grade or lower, or "ungraded," and no grade higher than 6th; 3) 6th grade or lower and 7th grade or higher, and reported a primary assignment of prekindergarten, kindergarten, or general elementary; 4) 7th and 8th grades only, and reported a primary assignment of prekindergarten, kindergarten, or general elementary; 5) 6th grade or lower and 7th grade or higher, and reported a primary assignment of special education and was designated as an elementary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school; or 6) 7th and 8th grades only, and reported a primary assignment of special education and was designated as an elementary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school. A school that has grade 6 or lower, or one that is "ungraded" with no grade higher than the 8th. Rural or small town Rural area (a place with a population of less than 2,500 and defined as rural by the U.S. Bureau of the Census) or a small town (a place not within an MSA, with a population of less than 25,000, but greater than or equal to 2,500, and defined as nonurban by the U.S. Bureau of the Census). Secondary school A secondary school teacher is one who, when asked for the grades taught, teachers checked: 1) "ungraded" and was designated as a secondary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school; 2) 6th grade or lower and 7th grade or higher, and reported a primary assignment other than prekindergarten, kindergarten, or general elementary; 3) 9th grade or higher, or 9th grade or higher and "ungraded"; 4) 7th and 8th grades only, and reported a primary assignment other than prekindergarten, kindergarten, general elementary, or special education; 5) 7th and 8th grades only, and reported a primary assignment of special education and was designated as a secondary teacher on the list of teachers provided by the school; or 6) 6th grade or lower and 7th grade or higher, or 7th and 8th grades only, and was not categorized above as either elementary or secondary. Urban fringe or large town Urban fringe of a large or mid-size city (a place within an MSA of a mid-size central city and defined as urban by the U.S. Bureau of the Census) or a large town (a place not within an MSA, but with a population greater or equal to 25,000 and defined as urban by the U.S. Bureau of the Census). S. Patrick Kachur et al., "School-Associated Violent Deaths in the United States, 1992 to 1994" Homicide An act involving a killing of one person by another resulting from interpersonal violence. School-associated A homicide or suicide in which the fatal injury occurred on the campus of a violent death functioning elementary or secondary school in the United States, while the victim was on the way to or from regular sessions at such a school, or while the victim was attending or traveling to or from an official school-sponsored event. Victims included nonstudents as well as students and staff members. Suicide An act of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally. (End of file)