Suspension and Expulsion Rates in Oregon Urban School Districts

 

This Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northwest study identifies how frequently students in six selected urban districts received exclusionary discipline during the 2011/12 school year, the most common reasons for such discipline, the percentage of students receiving multiple suspensions, and how many school days students lost to suspensions. The study also examined the application of exclusionary discipline at different grade spans and by student gender, race/ethnicity, and special education status.

•    During 2011/12, 6.4 percent of students were suspended or expelled. Physical and verbal aggression was the most common reason in elementary and middle school, while insubordination/disruption was the most common reason in high school. Nearly 40 percent of students who were suspended received more than one suspension over the school year. The average number of school days suspended among students receiving at least one suspension was 3.3 days.

•    Suspension and expulsion rates varied by student grade level, gender, race/ethnicity, and special education status. For example, rates for male students were 2.5 times those for female students. Rates for American Indian, Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students were 1–3 times those for White students. Rates for students in special education were 2.6 times those for students not in special education.