13. Students' reports of avoiding places in school*

One consequence of crime in school is that students begin to perceive specific areas in school as unsafe. In trying to ensure their own safety, they begin to avoid these areas. Changes in the percentage of students avoiding areas in school may be a good barometer of how safe schools are at least in the minds of those who attend these schools.

• Between 1995 and 1999, there was a decrease in the percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who avoided one or more places in school-from 9 percent in 1995 to 5 percent in 1999 (figure 13.1 and table 13.1). Despite this decline, this percentage still represented 1.1 million students in 1999 who reported avoiding some areas in school out of fear for their own safety.
• The percentage of students of all racial/ethnic groups avoiding specific areas in school fell between 1995 and 1999 (figure 13.1 and table 13.1). In both 1995 and 1999, black and Hispanic students were more likely to avoid areas in school than were white students.
• Between 1995 and 1999, there was a decrease in the percentage of students reporting avoiding areas in school among students of almost all grade levels (table 13.1). However, in both years, students in lower grades were more likely than students in higher grades to report avoiding areas in school.
• While in 1995, students in urban areas were more likely than suburban students to avoid areas in school (12 percent versus 8 percent, respectively), by 1999 urban and suburban students were equally as likely to avoid areas in school (figure 13.2 and table 13.1).

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