The rate of violent crimes in school settings against students ages 12 to 18 dropped by half between 1992 and 2002, according to a new report released today by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2004 is the seventh in a series of annual reports on school crime and safety. The report presents data on student and teacher victimization, students' perception of personal safety, gangs, student reports of bullying, students being called hate-related words and seeing hate-related graffiti, and student alcohol and drug abuse.

"Providing a safe learning environment in our schools that is conducive to learning is a major goal of No Child Left Behind," said Deborah Price, deputy under secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. "This report shows that over the past ten years or so that violent incidents among teenagers have declined in our schools, as have the number of students who bring weapons to school. This annual report helps us monitor school safety. It is a necessary reminder that we need to ensure that public schools are safe places where parents feel secure in sending their children."

Other key findings from the report are:

• Between 1992 and 2002, the total crime rate for students ages 12 to 18, as well as rates of theft, violent crimes (including serious violent crimes and simple assault), and serious violent crimes (including rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault) declined.
• Between 1993 and 2003, the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported being in a fight on school property declined from 16 percent to 13 percent.
• In 2003, 7 percent of students ages 12 to 18 reported that they had been bullied at school. The percentage of students in this age range who had been bullied increased from 5 percent in 1999 to 8 percent in 2001, but no difference was detected between 2001 and 2003.
• Between 1993 and 2003, the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who reported carrying a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club on school property within the previous 30 days dropped by half, from 12 percent to 6 percent.
• In 2003, 12 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that someone at school had used hate-related words against them (i.e., derogatory words related to race, religion, ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual orientation). During the same period, about 36 percent of students ages 12 and 18 saw hate-related graffiti at school.
• Twenty-one percent of students ages 12 and 18 reported that street gangs were present at their schools in 2003. Students in urban schools were the most likely to report the presence of street gangs at their school (31 percent), followed by suburban students and rural students (18 and 12 percent, respectively).
• In 2003, students in grades 9-12 were asked about using drugs on school property. In the 30 days prior to the survey, 5 percent of students reported having at least one drink of alcohol on school property and 6 percent reported using marijuana.
• Every year 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. On average, these figures translate into a rate of 32 thefts, 20 violent crimes, and 2 serious violent crimes per 1,000 teachers annually.

The complete text of the report is available online at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005002. Copies can be ordered by calling 1-877-4ED-Pubs (TTY/TDD 1-877-576-7734), by email at edpubs@inet.ed.gov, or online at www.edpubs.ed.gov/webstore/Content/search.asp.

###

Top

Back to November 2004