On kidsdata.org, indicators of school safety are based on student reports regarding:

• Their perceived level of safety at school, from very safe to very unsafe
• The number of times in the previous year they were afraid of being beaten up, were in a physical fight, carried a gun, and carried a weapon other than a gun at school

Also available are data from school staff on the extent to which:

• Their school is a safe place for students and staff
• Physical fighting between students and student weapons possession are problems at school

The safety and supportiveness of children's school environments play a crucial role in their development and academic success. Students who feel safe and supported at school tend to have better school attendance and achievement, and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors (1). Exposure to violence at school is associated with many negative outcomes for students, including depression, suicide, substance use, truancy, academic problems, and violent behavior (2, 3). The fear of violence alone can affect young people's development, concentration, and ability to learn (4).

School safety often is compromised by bullying and harassment, which affects more than a quarter of U.S. middle and high school students each year (5). In addition to the risk of physical injury, victims of bullying are at increased risk for emotional and physical health problems as well as poor academic achievement (5). Any young person can be bullied, but certain groups are more likely to be victimized, such as LGBTQ youth, students with disabilities, and African American/black youth (5).

According to 2015-2017 estimates, less than a quarter of California public school students in grades 7, 9, 11, and non-traditional programs felt very safe at school. Overall, boys were more likely to feel very safe at school than their female counterparts, as were students whose parents had a college degree. Among racial/ethnic groups with data, 25% of white youth statewide felt very safe at school, compared with 15% of their Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander peers. Estimates of feeling very unsafe at school were highest for African American/black youth, at 5%.

Across measures, it is more common for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students and those with low levels of school connectedness to feel unsafe, fear victimization, and engage in violence-related risk behaviors when compared with other youth. For example, in 2015-2017, the percentage of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth who on four or more occasions in the previous year were afraid of being beaten up at school was 6%, compared with 2% of straight youth. In the same period, an estimated 6% of students with low school connectedness were in four or more physical fights in the previous year, compared with 1% of students with high levels of connectedness.

Statewide in 2015-2017, an estimated 6% of students in non-traditional programs carried a gun at school at least once in the previous year, and 10% carried another type of weapon at least once. By comparison, 2% of students in traditional 11th grade carried a gun and 5% carried another type of weapon at school in the previous year. Across all student groups, less than 8% of youth carried a gun at school in the previous year and less than 12% carried a weapon other than a gun.

When students are exposed to violence or feel unsafe at school, it affects their academic performance and can negatively impact their health (1, 2). The safety of school environments can be improved by creating positive school climates, strengthening youth mental health services, revamping school discipline policies, and supporting evidence-based family and community violence prevention programs (1, 3). Strategies to strengthen school safety also should address bullying and harassment, which is a pervasive problem jeopardizing the well being of millions of students nationwide (4).

Policy options that could enhance student and staff safety include:

• Ensuring that schools engage families and community partners to create positive school climates, which are linked to lower rates of violence and bullying, increased feelings of safety among students and staff, and other positive outcomes; such efforts should involve ongoing staff training, strategies to promote pro-social student behavior, and tiered systems of support to meet student needs (5, 6)
• Supporting family- and school-based programs that strengthen communication and help all students build social-emotional skills including teamwork, problem solving, and conflict resolution (3, 5, 6, 7)
• Expanding the workforce of qualified mental health professionals serving youth, such as school counselors and psychiatrists, and ensuring adequate training for school staff to recognize signs of emotional or behavioral problems and refer students to appropriate services (8)
• Engaging all school stakeholders—leaders, teachers, students, families, community organizations, and others—in developing and disseminating shared codes of conduct, school policies, anti-bullying statements, and bullying reporting systems; these should pay particular attention to vulnerable populations (e.g., LGBTQ youth) and include training on how to deal with bullying incidents (4, 7)
• Implementing non-punitive school discipline policies that are clear, fair, consistent, and promote a positive learning environment; such policies should be based on a tiered system of appropriate responses to misconduct that keep students in school when possible, and should include clear, equitable classroom behavior management practice (5, 6)
• Promoting comprehensive violence prevention strategies that are evidence-based, data-driven, tailored to the community, and led by cross-sector coalitions (1, 3, 7)