During the 2005–06 school year, 17 percent of public schools experienced at least one serious violent incident at school.

In the School Survey on Crime and Safety, public school principals were asked to provide the number of violent incidents,¹ thefts of items valued at $10 or greater,² and other incidents³ that occurred at their school, as well as the number of these incidents reported to the police. During the 2005–06 school year, 86 percent of public schools indicated that one or more incidents had taken place at school (see table 28-1). During the same year, 61 percent of schools reported at least one incident to the police.

In the 2005–06 school year, 78 percent of public schools experienced one or more violent incidents, 17 percent experienced one or more serious violent incidents, 46 percent experienced one or more thefts, and 68 percent experienced one or more of other types of incidents. Thirty-eight percent of public schools reported at least one violent incident to the police, 13 percent reported at least one serious violent incident to the police, 28 percent reported at least one theft to the police, and 51 percent reported at least one of the other specified incidents to the police.

The percentage of schools experiencing at least one violent incident was lower in 2005–06 than in 2003–04 (78 vs. 81 percent), but the percentage of schools experiencing violent incidents was lowest in 1999–2000 (71 percent). While the percentage of schools reporting at least one violent incident to the police was not measurably different in 2005–06 than in 1999–2000 (38 vs. 36 percent), a larger percentage of schools reported at least one violent incident to the police in 2003–04 (44 percent) than in 1999–2000 or 2005–06.

The prevalence of violent incidents at public schools varied by school level. A smaller percentage of primary schools (67 percent) than middle schools (94 percent) or high schools (95 percent) experienced a violent incident in 2005–06 (see table 28-2).

¹ Violent incidents include serious violent incidents (rape or attempted rape, sexual battery other than rape, physical attack or fight with a weapon, threat of physical attack with a weapon, and robbery with or without a weapon), physical attack or fight without a weapon, and threat of physical attack without a weapon. (back to text)

² Theft/larceny (taking things worth over $10 without personal confrontation) was defined for respondents as “the unlawful taking of another person’s property without personal confrontation, threat, violence, or bodily harm. Included are pocket picking, stealing a purse or backpack (if left unattended or no force was used to take it from owner), theft from a building, theft from a motor vehicle or of motor vehicle parts or accessories, theft of bicycles, theft from vending machines, and all other types of thefts.” (back to text)

³ Other incidents include possession of a firearm or explosive device, possession of a knife or sharp object, distribution, possession, or use of illegal drugs or alcohol, and vandalism. (back to text)