During the 2015–16 school year, the rate of violent incidents was higher in middle schools (27 incidents per 1,000 students) than it was in high schools (16 incidents) or primary schools (15 incidents), according to a new report.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings From the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2015–16. The report uses data from the 2015–16 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) to examine a range of issues dealing with school crime and safety, including the frequency of school crime and violence, disciplinary actions, the presence and activities of school security staff, and school practices related to the prevention and reduction of crime.

Additional key findings include :

  • A higher percentage of middle schools reported that student bullying occurred at school daily or at least once a week (22 percent) than did high schools (15 percent) or primary schools (8 percent); and
  • About 36 percent of schools located in cities reported that one or more sworn law enforcement officers routinely carried a firearm while at school during the 2015-16 school year. That was lower than the percent reported at schools in towns (57 percent) and suburbs (45 percent).

The full report is at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2017122