Student Victimization in U.S. Schools Results From the 2005 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey

• NCJ Number: 239011
• Author(s): Lynn Bauer; Paul Guerino; Kacey Lee Nolle; Sze-Wei Tang; Kathryn Chandler
• Date Published: October 2008
• Length: 38 pages
• Sale Source: National Ctr for Education Statistics
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report from the National Center for Education Statistics provides information on student victimizations in schools as collected for the School Crime Supplement to the 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey.

Abstract

Highlights on student victimization in U.S. schools include the following: during the 2004-2005 school year, 3 percent of students in public schools reported being victims of theft, compared to1 percent for students in private schools; 41 percent of victims of any crime reported the presence of gangs at school compared to 23 percent of students who were not victims; 50 percent of student victims of theft and 51 percent of student victims of violent crime said drugs were available at their schools, compared to 34 percent of students who were not victims; more student victims of theft reported that their schools used security guards or assigned police officers compared to nonvictims of any crime; and the percentage of student victims of theft and violent crimes who reported being afraid of attack or harm at school (13 percent and 27 percent, respectively) was higher than nonvictims of any crime (6 percent). This report from the National Center for Education Statistics provides information on student victimizations as collected for the School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey. The SCS provides policymakers, academic researchers, and practitioners at the Federal, State, and local levels with the necessary data to make informed decisions concerning crime in schools. This report contains five primary sections. The first two sections contain information on the prevalence and type of student victimization at school along with selected characteristics of the victims and their schools. The third section presents information on conditions relating to school climate, such as the presence of gangs, weapons, and illegal substances, while the fourth section presents information on security measures used by schools to reduce the incidence of victimization. The fifth section of the report discusses fear and avoidance behaviors used by students to avoid becoming victims. Tables, figures, references, and appendixes