Violent School Crime Drops Significantly Over 10-Year Period

WASHINGTON-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 by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and the U.S. Department of Justice. 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 involved 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.

Twenty-one percent of students ages 12 to 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).