86 Percent of Public Schools Reported Crimes in '05-'06 School Year

Eighty-six percent of public schools reported at least one crime during the 2005-06 school year, according to a new federal analysis.

The report, Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2008 was issued jointly by the departments of Justice and Education.  The agencies also found that:

• In 2005-06, 46 percent of schools experienced 20 or more violent incidents
• In 2006, students ages 12-18 were victims of about 1.7 million nonfatal crimes at school (this includes violent crimes)
• In 2007, 10 percent of male students and 5 percent of female students in grades 9-12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property in the past year
• In 2007, 22 percent of students in grades 9-12 reported that illegal drugs were made available to them on school property

Students were surveyed about safety and security measures visible at their schools.  Sixty-six percent reported observing one or more security cameras at their school in 2007 compared with 58 percent of students in 2005.  Additionally, between 1999 and 2007, the percentage of students reporting that their school had a visitor sign-in requirement increased from 87 percent to 94 percent.