School safety in the United States includes student experiences, attendance, bullying, sexual violence, facilities, and emergency planning. The figures below combine CDC self-reported estimates for U.S. high school students with GAO estimates for public-school districts, so periods, populations, and definitions matter.
Key School Safety Statistics
The most broadly useful figures include:
- 9% of U.S. high school students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon at school during the previous 12 months in 2023.
- 13% of U.S. high school students did not attend school because they felt unsafe at school or traveling to or from school during the previous 30 days in 2023.
- 16% of U.S. high school students were electronically bullied during the previous 12 months in 2023.
- 19% of U.S. high school students were bullied on school property during the previous 12 months in 2023.
- 11% of U.S. high school students experienced sexual violence by anyone during the previous 12 months in 2023.
- 9% of U.S. high school students had ever been physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to in 2023.
- 47% of U.S. public-school districts had chronic facility issues during the 2024–25 school year.
- 19% of U.S. public-school districts canceled school for at least one day because of a facility issue during 2024–25.
- An estimated 2 million students were affected by facility-related school cancellations in U.S. public schools during 2024–25.
- An estimated 3.5 million days of learning were lost to facility-related cancellations in U.S. public schools during 2024–25.
- 55% of U.S. public-school districts said their most recent facilities budget was insufficient during 2024–25.
- 73% of U.S. public-school district leaders said limited state formula funding hindered their ability to meet facility needs during 2024–25.
- 32 U.S. states reported laws or policies requiring districts to have emergency management plans in the 2006–07 survey period.
- 56% of U.S. school districts had no procedures for continuing student education during an extended closure in the 2006–07 survey period.
- 62% of U.S. school districts identified equipment, staff training, or personnel expertise as obstacles to recommended emergency-planning practices in 2006–07.
- 95% of U.S. school districts had written emergency management plans in the 2006–07 survey period.
Contents
- Weapon threats and safety-related absence
- Bullying and electronic harassment trends
- Sexual violence experiences
- Facility disruptions and budget pressure
- Emergency planning and preparedness
- Historical continuity and inclusion gaps
School Safety Statistics: Weapon Threats and Safety-Related Absence
The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey measures self-reported experiences among U.S. high school students. Its weapon measure covers being threatened or injured with a gun, knife, or club at school during the previous 12 months.
| Survey year | Threatened or injured with a weapon at school | Missed school because of safety concerns |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 7% | 7% |
| 2015 | 6% | 6% |
| 2017 | 6% | 7% |
| 2019 | 7% | 9% |
| 2021 | 7% | 9% |
| 2023 | 9% | 13% |
The weapon figures refer to the previous 12 months, while absence figures refer to the previous 30 days. The 2023 absence estimate is perceived safety-related absence, not confirmation that an incident occurred.
Source: Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2013–2023, CDC, pp. 41–54.
School Safety Data: Bullying and Electronic Harassment Trends
Bullying appears in two distinct CDC measures: bullying on school property and electronic bullying, including texting and social media. Both are self-reported past-year estimates for U.S. high school students.
| Survey year | Bullied on school property | Electronically bullied |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 20% | 15% |
| 2015 | 20% | 16% |
| 2017 | 19% | 15% |
| 2019 | 20% | 16% |
| 2021 | 15% | 16% |
| 2023 | 19% | 16% |
In 2023, the school-property measure was 19%, compared with 16% for electronic bullying. The measures can overlap because a student may experience both forms, and neither percentage represents a count of incidents.
Source: Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2013–2023, CDC, pp. 41–54.
School Safety Statistics on Sexual Violence Experiences
The CDC reports both a past-year sexual-violence measure and a lifetime measure for U.S. high school students. Past-year sexual violence includes unwanted kissing, touching, or forced intercourse by anyone; lifetime forced-intercourse estimates use a different reference period and should not be treated as interchangeable.
| Survey year | Sexual violence by anyone, previous 12 months | Ever physically forced to have intercourse |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10% | 7% |
| 2019 | 11% | 7% |
| 2021 | 11% | 8% |
| 2023 | 11% | 9% |
The sexual-violence question was introduced in 2017, so this series begins later than the weapon and bullying trend series. In 2023, 11% reported sexual violence during the previous year, while 9% reported ever being physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to.
Source: Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2013–2023, CDC, pp. 41–54.
School Facility Safety Statistics: Disruptions and Budget Pressure
GAO’s nationally representative survey of U.S. public-school districts examined the 2024–25 school year. These are district-level estimates, and the facility-budget measure reflects leaders’ reported budget sufficiency rather than a direct spending total.
- 47% of districts had chronic facility issues during 2024–25.
- 19% canceled school for at least one day because of a facility issue; the 95% confidence interval was 15%–24%.
- Facility-related cancellations affected an estimated 2 million students, with a 95% confidence interval of 1.5–2.4 million.
- Facility-related cancellations represented an estimated 3.5 million lost days of learning, with a 95% confidence interval of 2.5–4.5 million days.
- 55% of districts reported insufficient facilities budgets, while 73% of district leaders cited limited state formula funding as a hindrance to meeting facility needs.
These figures describe facility conditions and disruption, not the prevalence of student-reported violence. They broaden school safety beyond incidents by showing how building problems can interrupt attendance and learning.
Source: K-12 Education: Facility Issues Led About One in Five Districts to Cancel School in 2024-25, Affecting 2 Million Students, GAO.
School Emergency Planning Statistics and Preparedness Measures
A historical GAO survey of U.S. school districts during 2006–07 recorded how districts approached emergency management. These findings should be read as a historical baseline, not as a current national count.
| Preparedness measure | 2006–07 result |
|---|---|
| States reporting laws or policies requiring district emergency plans | 32 states |
| Districts with written emergency management plans | 95% |
| Districts with written plans addressing multiple hazards | 99.6% |
| Districts inspecting buildings and grounds for vulnerabilities | 93% |
| Inspecting districts making security enhancements | 87% |
| Districts using the Incident Command System | 43% |
Among districts with written plans, 99.6% addressed multiple hazards, but that statistic measures plan coverage rather than plan quality or effectiveness. Likewise, 87% of districts that inspected buildings and grounds made security enhancements, including communications equipment, perimeter security, or access controls.
Source: GAO-07-821T, Emergency Management: Status of School Districts’ Planning and Preparedness, GAO.
Historical School Safety Data: Continuity and Inclusion Gaps
The same 2006–07 GAO survey identified obstacles and gaps in emergency preparedness. The results are historical and reflect reported procedures and obstacles at that time, not a current inventory of equipment or training.
- 62% of districts identified lack of equipment, staff training, or personnel expertise as obstacles to recommended emergency-planning practices.
- 28% of districts with emergency management plans lacked specific provisions for students with special needs; the quality of any provisions was not evaluated.
- 56% of districts had no procedures for continuing student education during an extended school closure.
For districts with written plans, the reported continuity methods were not mutually exclusive:
- 30% included electronic or human telephone trees for continuing instruction during an extended closure.
- 12% included web-based distance-instruction procedures.
- 10% included mailed lessons and assignments.
- 7% included academic instruction through local radio or television stations.
The CDC YRBS figures are self-reported, nationally representative high-school-student estimates. The 2023 overall response rate was 35.4%, including a 71.0% student response rate and a 49.8% school response rate, and the CDC notes survey and COVID-era caveats when interpreting trends.
Source: GAO-07-821T, Emergency Management: Status of School Districts’ Planning and Preparedness, GAO.