Report Details Schools Crime and Student Safety Data

The National Center for Education Statistics, in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Statistics, released a report, Indicators of School Crime and Safety, on school crime and safety across the entire U.S. education system. The report, the 16th in a series of reports produced since 1998, covers topics such as victimization, teacher injury, bullying and cyber-bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions.

The statistics on postsecondary crime and safety largely come from the 2013 Digest of Education Statistics and reflect data collected from institutions through 2011 in compliance with the Clery Act. Data show that overall campus crime is down; however, drug violations and forcible crimes have increased.

Key higher education findings

• In 2011, there were a total of 30,401 criminal incidents reported at postsecondary institutions representing a 5 percent decrease from 2010 and a 27 percent decrease from 2001.
• Between 2001 and 2011, both 4-year private and public institutions experienced a decrease in total on-campus crime incidents (28 percent vs. 22 percent, respectively). Of the total crimes reported in 2011, 35% were at 4-year private nonprofit institutions and 48.3% were at 4-year public institutions.
• The number of reported forcible sex crimes on college campuses increased by 52 percent between 2001 and 2011, only to be exceeded by the increase in drug violations (75 percent) during this same period. Four-year private nonprofit institutions saw a dramatic increase in the reporting of forcible sex crimes during this ten-year period (72 percent) in comparison to 4-year public institutions (31 percent).
• Of the 3,344 total forcible sex crimes reported in 2011, 91 percent occurred at 4-year institutions, with 4-year private nonprofit institutions accounting for 42 percent and 4-year public institutions accounting for 49 percent.

Additional Resources

Full NCES/BJS report on all education crime and safety statistics, and detailed statistical tables.

For more information, please contact:
Jason Ramirez