Annually, over the 5-year period from 1998 to 2002, teachers were the victims of approximately 234,000 total nonfatal crimes at school, including 144,000 thefts and 90,000 violent crimes.

Students are not the only victims of crime at school. Teachers can also be targets of violence and theft in schools. In addition to the personal toll that violence may take on teachers, those who worry about their safety may have difficulty teaching and may leave the profession altogether (Elliott, Hamburg, and Williams 1998). Information on the number of crimes against teachers at school can help show the extent of the problem. Estimates of teacher victimization are drawn from the National Crime Victimization Survey, which obtains information about the occupation of survey respondents. These events are not limited to offenses committed by students; offenses committed by others against teachers are also included.

Annually, over the 5-year period from 1998 to 2002, teachers were the victims of approximately 234,000 total nonfatal crimes at school, including 144,000 thefts and 90,000 violent crimes (rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) (table 9.1).⁵ Among the violent crimes against teachers during this 5-year period, there were about 11,000 serious violent crimes annually (accounting for 12 percent of the violent crimes), including rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. On average, these figures translate into a rate of 32 thefts, 20 violent crimes, and 2 serious violent crimes per 1,000 teachers annually.⁶

The average annual rate of violent victimization for teachers varied according to their sex, instructional level, and urbanicity (figure 9.1 and table 9.1). Over the 5-year period from 1998 to 2002, male teachers were more likely than female teachers to be victims of violent crimes (34 vs. 15 crimes per 1,000 teachers annually). Senior high school and middle/junior high school teachers were more likely than elementary school teachers to be victims of violent crimes (30 and 26 crimes, respectively, vs. 12 crimes per 1,000 teachers). In addition, annually over the 5-year period, urban teachers were more likely than rural and suburban teachers to be victims of violent crimes (28 vs. 12 crimes each per 1,000 teachers).

This indicator has been updated to include 2002 data.

⁵ The average annual total number of crimes is the sum of all teacher victimizations across the 5 years, divided by 5.

⁶ The average annual rate is the sum of all teacher victimizations across the 5 years divided by the sum of all teachers over those years, multiplied by 1,000.