Serious Violent Crime Rate in U.S. Schools

Contrary to public perception, violent crime in schools has declined dramatically since 1994. The annual rate of serious violent crime in 2001 (6 per 1,000 students) was less than half of the rate in 1994. The rate of homicides in U.S. schools has also declined dramatically since the 1990's. There was an interruption in the downward trend during a period of highly publicized shootings that generated some copycat shootings. The overall percentage of students who report being threatened or injured with a weapon at school has remained relatively stable since 1993. Boys experience almost twice as many incidents as girls. Bullying is one form of violence that seems to have increased in recent years, although it is not clear if the increase reflects more incidents of bullying at school or perhaps greater awareness of bullying as a problem.