Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2012

A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. This report presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources--the National Crime Victimization Survey, the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the School Survey on Crime and Safety and the School and Staffing Survey. Data on crime away from school are also presented to place school crime in the context of crime in the larger society.

Indicators of School Crime and Safety provides the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools and school environments and responses to violence and crime at school. It also presents data on crime away from school to place school crime in the context of crime in the larger society. The report covers topics such as victimization, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, students’ access to guns without adult permission, the presence of security staff at school, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, and
student perceptions of personal safety at school.

Key findings from this year’s report include:

• In 2011, students ages 12–18 were victims of about 1,246,000 nonfatal victimizations at school, including 648,600 thefts and 597,500 violent victimizations.

• In 2011, 10 percent of male students in grades 9–12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past year, compared to 5 percent of female students.

• In 2011, about 28 percent of 12- to 18-year-old students reported having been bullied at school during the school year and 9 percent reported having been cyber-bullied.

• Seventy-seven percent of students reported observing the use of one or more security cameras at their schools in 2011, which represented an increase from 70 percent in 2009.

• In 2011, 5 percent of students in grades 9–12 reported having access to a gun without adult permission. A higher percentage of males reported having access to a gun without adult permission (6 percent) than females (4 percent).

• During the 2009–10 school year, 43 percent of schools reported the presence of one or more security staff at their school at least once a week during the school year