Fast Facts

Question:
What safety and security measures are used in America's public schools?

Response:

Public schools use a variety of practices and procedures intended to promote the safety of students and staff. The School Survey on Crime and Safety provides information on what types of safety and sceurity measures schools use and how frequently they use them. In the Survey, public school officials were asked about their school’s use of such measures and procedures. Certain practices, such as locked or monitored doors or gates, are intended to limit or control access to school campuses, while others, such as metal detectors, security cameras, and drug sweeps, are intended to monitor or restrict students’ and visitors’ behavior on campus.

In the 2005–06 school year, 85 percent of public schools controlled access to school buildings by locking or monitoring doors during school hours, and 41 percent controlled access to school grounds with locked or monitored gates

About 48 percent of public schools required faculty and staff to wear badges or picture identification, and 43 percent used one or more security cameras to monitor the school

The use of security measures varied by school level. Although a lower percentage of primary schools than middle and high schools reported using many of these measures, a higher percentage of primary schools than middle and high schools controlled access to school buildings and grounds during school hours.

Thirteen percent of high schools reported performing drug tests on athletes, compared to 7 percent of middle schools and 1 percent of primary schools; and 61 percent of high schools performed random dog sniffs to check for drugs, compared to 41 percent and 4 percent of middle and primary schools, respectively.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 (NCES 2008-021).

*Percentage of public schools that used selected safety and security measures, by school level: 2005-06*
Selected safety and security measures	School level¹
Selected safety and security measures	All schools²	Primary	Middle	High School
Limited access during school hours
Buildings (e.g., locked or monitored doors)	84.9	87.9	84.4	76.6
Grounds (e.g., locked or monitored gates)	41.1	44.5	35.1	36.4
Required to wear badges or picture IDs
Students	6.1	2.3	10.1	16.1
Faculty	47.8	50.8	52.1	46.6
Metal detector checks on students
Random checks³	4.9	2.3	9.0	10.8
Require to pass through daily	1.1	0.6!	1.8	2.6
Sweeps and technology
Random dog sniffs to check for drugs	23.0	4.1	40.9	60.6
Random sweeps for contraband ^3,4	13.1	2.3	22.3	29.8
Use of security cameras to monitor school ³	42.8	31.4	52.5	69.7
Require students to wear uniforms	13.8	16.4	14.0	5.4

! Interpret data with caution
¹Primary schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not higher than grade 3 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 8. Middle schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not lower than grade 4 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 9. High schools are defined as schools in which the lowest grade is not lower than grade 9.
²Includes combined schools which include all other combinations of grades, including K-12 schools.
³One or more.
⁴For example, drugs or weapons. Does not include dog sniffs.

NOTE: Either school principals or the person most knowledgeable about discipline issues at school completed the SSOCS questionnaire. Respondents were instructed to respond only for those times that were during normal school hours or when school activities or events were in session, unless the survey specified otherwise.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007 (NCES 2008-021), Table 20.1.

Other Resources: (Listed by Release Date)

NCES Headlines