Student Victimization in U.S. Schools

Results From the 2007 School Crime Supplement 

to the National Crime Victimization Survey

NCES 2010-319 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Student Victimization in U.S. Schools

Results From the 2007 School Crime Supplement to the 

National Crime Victimization Survey

JULY 2010

Jill Fleury DeVoe

Lynn Bauer

Education Statistics Services Institute 

American Institutes for Research

Monica R. Hill

Project Officer

National Center for Education Statistics 

NCES 2010-319

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences

John Q. Easton

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Stuart Kerachsky

Acting Commissioner

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Suggested Citation

DeVoe, J.F., and Bauer, L. (2010). Student Victimization in U.S. Schools: Results From the 2007 School Crime Supplement to the 

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCES 2010-319). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

For ordering information on this report, write to

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Content Contact

Monica R. Hill

(202) 502-7379

monica.hill@ed.gov
iii

Highlights 

This report provides estimates of student criminal victimization as defined by the 2007 

School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey 

(NCVS).1

 The NCVS is the nation’s primary source of information on crime victimization 

and the victims of crime in the United States. The SCS is a supplement to the NCVS that 

was created to collect information about student and school characteristics on a national 

level. The first three administrations of the SCS were conducted in 1989, 1995, and 1999; 

beginning in 1999, it has been conducted biennially. The survey is designed to assist 

policymakers, as well as researchers and practitioners at the federal, state, and local levels, 

in making informed decisions concerning crime in schools. 

Criminal victimizations in this report are categorized as serious violent, violent, or theft. 

Serious violent victimization includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault 

and is a subset of violent victimization. Violent victimization includes all serious violent 

victimizations and simple assault. Theft includes attempted and completed purse snatching, 

completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle 

theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is involved. 

Victims of “any” crime reported at least one of the victimizations above. “Nonvictims” of 

any crime reported none of the victimizations above. All findings reported are statistically 

significant at the .05 level. The test procedure used in this report is the Student’s t statistic, 

which tests the difference between two sample estimates. Adjustments for multiple 

comparisons were not included. Readers should be alerted to the limitations of the survey 

design and the analytical approach used here with regard to causality. Conclusions about 

causality between school or student characteristics and victimization cannot be made due 

to the cross-sectional, nonexperimental design of the SCS. 

Major findings from the 2007 NCVS and SCS include the following: 

• In the school year 2006–07, about 4.3 percent of students ages 12 through 18 

reported that they were victims of any crime at school (table 1). Three percent 

reported being victims of theft, 1.6 percent of students reported a violent 

victimization, and 0.4 percent of students reported a serious violent victimization.

• Three percent of both males and females reported being victims of theft at school 

(table 2). 

• A higher percentage of students in 9th grade reported theft victimization (4.6 

percent) than did students in grades 7, 8, or 11 (about 3 percent each) or grade 12 

(1.9 percent) (table 2). 

• Thirty-eight percent of student victims of any crime reported the presence of gangs 

at school compared to 22.6 percent of students who were nonvictims (figure 1 and 

table 3). About 42.8 percent of students who reported violent crime victimization 

1 The SCS data are available for download from the student survey link at the National Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES) Crime and Safety Surveys portal, located at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime. 
iv

reported having been in a physical fight at school, compared to 5.9 percent of 

students who were nonvictims. 

• About 48.3 percent of student victims of theft and 50.3 percent of student victims of 

violent crime said drugs were available at their schools, compared to 31.6 percent of 

students who were not victims (figure 1 and table 3). Approximately 27.5 percent of 

victims of any crime and 28.2 percent of victims of theft said that alcohol was 

available at their school, compared to 17.7 percent of nonvictims. 

• Higher percentages of students who reported any criminal victimization at school 

reported they were the targets of traditional (62.2 percent) and electronic2

 (11.6 

percent) bullying than were nonvictims (30.4 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively) 

(figure 2 and table 4).

• When asked about safety measures at their school, a higher percentage of students 

who were victims of theft reported that their schools used security guards or 

assigned police officers than did nonvictims (78.7 percent vs. 68.4 percent) (figure 4 

and table 6). 

• The percentage of student victims of violent crimes who reported being afraid of 

attack or harm at school (23.2 percent) was higher than that of nonvictims (4.9 

percent) (figure 5 and table 7). 

• A higher percentage of students reporting any crime avoided specific places at 

school because of fear of attack or harm than did nonvictims (13.1 percent vs. 5.4 

percent) (figure 5 and table 7). 

2 Electronic bullying is victimization by a peer that occurred anywhere via electronic means, including the Internet, instant 

messaging, and text messaging.
v

Acknowledgments

The School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey would not be 

possible without the continued support for data collection given by the U.S. Department 

of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, under the sponsorship of Bill 

Modzeleski. 

The authors would also like to thank all of the respondents to the NCVS/SCS survey. This 

report would not be possible without their participation. 
This page is intentionally left blank.
vii

Contents

Page

Highlights .............................................................................................................................iii

Acknowledgments.................................................................................................................. v

List of Tables.......................................................................................................................viii

List of Figures........................................................................................................................ x

Introduction............................................................................................................................ 1

Victimization at School ......................................................................................................... 5

Characteristics of Victims of Crime at School..................................................................... 6

Victimization and School Climate........................................................................................ 9

Victimization and Bullying at School ..................................................................................10

Victimization and Security Measures at School ..................................................................12

Victimization, Fear, and Avoidance Behaviors at School.....................................................15

References.............................................................................................................................17

Appendix A: Technical Notes.............................................................................................A-1

Appendix B: Standard Error Tables....................................................................................B-1

Appendix C: Selected Items From the 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey 

Basic Screen Questionnaire (NCVS-1).......................................................................C-1

Appendix D: Selected Items From the 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey 

Crime Incident Report (NCVS-2).............................................................................. D-1

Appendix E: 2007 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization 

Survey Instrument ......................................................................................................E-1
viii

List of Tables

Table Page

1. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at 

school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization: School year 

2006–07 ..................................................................................................................... 5

2. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at 

school, by type of victimization and selected student and school 

characteristics: School year 2006–07 ....................................................................... 7

3. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at 

school, by student reports of conditions of school climate and type of 

victimization: School year 2006–07.......................................................................... 8

4. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at 

school, by student reports of being bullied by traditional means at school or 

by electronic means anywhere and type of victimization: School year 2006–

07 ..............................................................................................................................11

5. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at 

school, by student reports of the use of selected security measures to secure 

school buildings and type of victimization: School year 2006–07...........................13

6. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at 

school, by student reports of the use of security measures requiring the 

enforcement of administrative procedures and type of victimization: School 

year 2006–07 ............................................................................................................14

7. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at 

school, by student reports of personal avoidance behavior and type of 

victimization: School year 2006–07.........................................................................16

A-1. Detail of items included in the NCVS/SCS item nonresponse bias analysis, 

by variable source code: School year 2006-2007 .................................................. A-8

A-2. Generalized variance function constant parameters for the School Crime 

Supplement to the National Crime victimization Survey, by school year: 

School year 2006-2007 .........................................................................................A-11
ix

Table Page

B-1. Standard errors for Table 1: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who 

reported no criminal victimization at school and those who reported 

criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of

victimization: School year 2006–07 .................................................................... B-2

B-2. Standard errors for Table 2: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who 

reported no criminal victimization at school and those who reported 

criminal victimization at school, by type of victimization and selected 

student and school characteristics: School year 2006–07...................................... B-3

B-3. Standard errors for Table 3: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who 

reported no criminal victimization at school and those who reported 

criminal victimization at school, by student reports of conditions of school 

climate and type of victimization: School year 2006–07..................................... B-4

B-4. Standard errors for Table 4: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who 

reported no criminal victimization at school and those who reported 

criminal victimization at school, by student reports of being bullied by 

traditional means at school or by electronic means anywhere and type of 

victimization: School year 2006–07..................................................................... B-5

B-5. Standard errors for Table 5: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who 

reported no criminal victimization at school and those who reported 

criminal victimization at school, by student reports of the use of selected 

security measures to secure school buildings and type of victimization: 

School year 2006–07 ............................................................................................ B-6

B-6. Standard errors for Table 6: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who 

reported no criminal victimization at school and those who reported criminal 

victimization at school, by student reports of the use of security measures 

requiring the enforcement of administrative procedures and type of 

victimization: School year 2006–07...................................................................... B-7

B-7. Standard errors for Table 7: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who 

reported no criminal victimization at school and those who reported criminal 

victimization at school, by student reports of personal avoidance behavior 

and type of victimization: School year 2006–07.................................................. B-8
x

List of Figures

Figure Page

1. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported conditions of an 

unfavorable school climate, by reports of criminal victimization at school: 

School year 2006–07 ................................................................................................. 8

2. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported being bullied by 

traditional means at school or by electronic means anywhere, by reports 

of criminal victimization at school: School year 2006–07.......................................11

3. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported the use of selected 

security measures to secure school buildings, by reports of criminal 

victimization at school: School year 2006–07......................................................... 12

4. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported the use of security 

measures requiring the enforcement of administrative procedures at school, 

by reports of criminal victimization at school: School year 2006–07......................14

5. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported personal avoidance 

behavior at school, by reports of criminal victimization at school: School 

year 2006–07 ............................................................................................................15
1

Introduction

Student victimization in schools is a major concern of educators, policymakers, 

administrators, parents, and students. Understanding the scope of the criminal victimization 

of students, as well as the factors associated with it, is an essential step in developing solutions 

to address the issues of school crime and violence.

Since 1999, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has collected data on 

student criminal victimization through its sponsorship of the School Crime Supplement 

(SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), administered by the 

Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The purpose of this report is to 

provide the most recent available data on student criminal victimization and the 

characteristics of crime victims and nonvictims from the 2007 collection. 

Data Source

This report uses data from the 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey Basic Screen 

Questionnaire (NCVS-1), the NCVS Crime Incident Report (NCVS-2), and the SCS to the 

NCVS.1

 The NCVS is the nation’s primary source of information on criminal victimization 

and the victims of crime. The NCVS-2 collects data on criminal victimizations that occur at 

school and in locations other than at school. The SCS collects additional information about 

school and student characteristics on a national level. Created as a supplement to the NCVS 

and codesigned by NCES and BJS, the SCS has been conducted in 1989, 1995, 1999, 2001, 

2003, 2005, and 2007. 

Each month, the U.S. Census Bureau selects respondents for NCVS using a “rotating panel” 

design (see appendix A for additional information on sample design and data collection). 

Households within the United States are selected into the sample using a stratified, 

multistage cluster design, and all age-eligible individuals in the households become part of 

the panel. Once in the panel, respondents are administered NCVS every 6 months over 3 

years to determine whether they have been victimized during the 6 months2

 preceding the 

interview. The SCS questionnaire is administered after NCVS to persons in the sample 

household ages 12 through 18 who are currently enrolled in a primary or secondary 

education program leading to a high school diploma or who were enrolled sometime during 

the school year of the interview.3

1The SCS data are available for download from the student surveys link at National Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES) Crime and Safety Surveys portal, located at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime. 2 The NCVS collects data on criminal victimization during the 6 months preceding the interview, whereas, beginning in 

2007, the SCS asks students about school characteristics “this school year.” This change was largely based on feedback 

obtained from students ages 12 through 18 who reviewed the items during cognitive laboratory evaluations conducted by 

the Census Bureau. These respondents revealed they were not being strict in their interpretation of the 6-month reference 

period and were responding based on their experiences during the entire school year.

3 Persons who have dropped out of school, have been expelled or suspended from school, or are temporarily absent from 

school for any other reason, such as illness or vacation, are eligible as long as they have attended school at any time during 

the school year of the interview. Students who are homeschooled are not included past the screening questions, since many 

of the questions in SCS are not relevant to their situation. 
2

Of the 11,161 NCVS respondents eligible for the 2007 SCS, a total of 6,503 students 

participated, of whom 5,621 met the requirements for inclusion in this analysis. 

Specifically, this report includes only students ages 12 through 18 who were enrolled in 6th 

through 12th grade at any time during the 2006–07 school year and who were not 

homeschooled during that time. Per these criteria, eligible students were primarily enrolled 

in middle and high schools. The household completion rate was 90 percent and the student 

completion rate was 58 percent. The overall unweighted SCS unit response rate (calculated by 

multiplying the household completion rate by the student completion rate) was 53 

percent. Due to the low unit response rate, a unit nonresponse bias analysis was performed. 

Despite evidence of potential bias for the household income and race/ethnicity variables, 

these variables were considered stable enough for examination in this report. Refer to 

appendix A for more information on the respondent criteria for inclusion in the report 

analysis and the bias analyses that were performed. 

NCVS and SCS data are also examined by Dinkes et al. (2009) in Indicators of School 

Crime and Safety: 2008, a report produced annually by NCES and BJS. That report 

compiles data from multiple sources, including national surveys of students, teachers, and 

principals, as well as universe data collections from federal departments and agencies, 

including BJS, NCES, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention. It is designed to provide a “first look” at information from these 

data sources and makes trend comparisons of SCS findings. The current report, as well as the 

report A Profile of Criminal Incidents at School by Ruddy et al. (2010), are part of a 

series of reports about the nature of school crime. These supplement the indicators report by 

detailing characteristics of school crime, victims of crime, and offender characteristics. 

Definitions

In this report, the definition of criminal victimization4

 is derived from the NCVS “type of 

crime” variable. Criminal victimizations are categorized as serious violent, violent, or theft. 

Serious violent victimization includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault 

and are a subset of violent crimes. Violent victimization includes all serious violent 

victimizations and simple assault. Theft includes attempted and completed purse snatching, 

completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle 

theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is involved. 

Victims of “any” crime reported at least one of the victimizations above. “Nonvictims” of 

any crime reported none of the victimizations above. 

Readers should note that the NCVS counts each incident of crime against an individual as a 

criminal victimization. However, estimates reported in this report are based on the 

prevalence, or percentage, of students who experience victimizations. For example, if a 

respondent reports two unique victimizations, such as an assault and a theft, during the 

previous 6 months, this student would be counted once in the overall prevalence (“any”) 

estimate, because “any” victimization constitutes at least one violent victimization or theft. 

For many of the findings discussed in this report, the baseline comparison is that of victims 

4 For ease of presentation, the terms criminal victimization and victimization are used interchangeably throughout this 

report.
3

of specific crimes to that of nonvictims. Measuring student victimization in this way 

provides the percentages of students who are directly affected by victimization, rather than 

the number of victimizations that occur at school. Estimates of serious violent victimization 

are not provided beyond those presented in table 1 because the percentage of students who 

experienced this type of victimization was not large enough to present meaningful cross 

tabulations.

For the purposes of this report, victimization at school refers to incidents that occurred 

inside the school building, on school property, or on the way to or from school. Some 

characteristics (such as school sector, security measures, and grade level) are drawn from 

the 2007 SCS, while others (such as sex, race/ethnicity, and household income) are drawn 

from NCVS-1 variables appended to the SCS data file. Estimates of victimizations that 

occur at school, on school grounds, or on the way to or from school are obtained from the 

NCVS-2. See appendix D for selected questions from the NCVS-2 instrument and appendix

E for the SCS instrument. 

Study Considerations

Readers should note that limitations inherent to victimization surveys such as the SCS and 

NCVS could have some effect on the estimates of victimization reported here (see Cantor 

and Lynch 2000). First, 24 percent of SCS interviews were new to the NCVS panel in 2007. 

Because there is no prior interview for new respondents to use as a point of reference when 

reporting victimization, their reports may include victimizations that occurred before the 

desired reference period. To the extent that these earlier victimizations are included, rates 

are overreported. Second, respondent recall of a victimization event may be inaccurate. 

People may forget the event entirely or recall the characteristics of the event inaccurately. 

This could lead to misclassification of victimizations. 

Readers also need to be aware that in 2007, the time period that respondents were asked to 

reference for the entire SCS was revised from “the last 6 months” to “this school year.” This 

change was largely based on feedback obtained from students ages 12 through 18 who 

reviewed the items during cognitive laboratory evaluations conducted by the Census 

Bureau. These respondents revealed they were not being strict in their interpretation of the 

6-month reference period and were responding based on their experiences during the entire 

school year. Readers should interpret results between the 2007 SCS and those from prior 

iterations of the SCS, in which the reference period was “the last 6 months,” with caution. 

In 2007, no change in reference period was made for criminal victimizations as reported in 

the main NCVS. That is, criminal victimizations at school are reported for the 6-month 

period prior to the date of interview while school characteristics reported in the SCS are 

reported for the last school year. 

Additional caution should be considered when examining the other variables used in this 

report. Because all variables of interest in the SCS and NCVS are self-reported, information 

about the respondent and his or her school may be inaccurate due to errors in recall, 

falsification, or exaggeration. Finally, readers should be alerted to the limitations of the 

survey design and the analytical approach used here with regard to causality. Conclusions 

about causality between school or student characteristics and victimization cannot be made 

due to the cross-sectional, nonexperimental design of the SCS. Furthermore, certain 
4

characteristics discussed in this report (e.g., gang presence, security guards, and hallway 

monitors) may be related to one another, but this analysis does not control for such possible 

relationships. Therefore, no causal inferences should be made between the variables of 

interest and victimization when reading these results.

Understanding Statistical Significance

The comparisons in the text have been tested for statistical significance to ensure that the 

differences are larger than might be expected due to sampling variation. All statements cited 

in the report are statistically significant at the .05 level. The test procedure used in this 

report is the Student’s t statistic, which tests the difference between two sample estimates. 

Multiple comparison adjustments have not been made in the analyses presented in this 

report, which may cause an increase in significant findings reported. For example, when using 

a .05 alpha level, 5 percent of findings would be expected to be statistically 

significant by chance. The standard error is calculated for each estimate provided in order to 

determine the “margin of error” for the estimates. The standard errors of the estimates for 

different subpopulations can vary considerably and should be taken into account when 

making comparisons. It should also be acknowledged that apparently large differences 

between estimates may not have measurable differences, which may be due to large 

standard errors.

How This Report Is Organized

The results of this report are presented in five sections. The first two sections discuss the 

prevalence and type of student criminal victimization at school and selected characteristics 

of victims, including their demographic characteristics and school type. The third section 

explores crime victim and nonvictim reports of conditions of school climate, such as the 

presence of gangs and weapons and the availability of drugs. The fourth section examines 

criminal victimization and student reports of bullying and cyberbullying at school. The fifth 

section examines criminal victimization and student reports of security measures taken at 

school to secure school buildings and the use of designated personnel and the enforcement 

of administrative procedures at school to ensure student safety. The sixth section examines 

fear and avoidance behaviors of crime victims and nonvictims, such as skipping class or 

avoiding specific places at school. 
5

Victimization at School

In their analysis of data from the six prior administrations of the SCS, Dinkes et al. (2009) 

found a decrease in the percentage of students ages 12 through 18 reporting any criminal 

victimization at school in the 6 months prior to the survey. While 9.5 percent of students 

reported being victims of any crime at school in 1995, about 4.2 percent of students 

reported being victims of any crime at school in 2005. In 1995, about 7.1 percent reported 

being victims of theft, compared to 3.1 percent in 2005. Three percent of students reported 

being victims of violent crime in 1995, compared to 1.2 percent in 2005. In both 1995 and 

2005, less than 1 percent of students reported a serious violent crime victimization. 

However, between the most recent SCS survey years (2005 and 2007), there were 

no measurable changes in the percentage of students reporting any type of criminal 

victimization. This report supplements the findings of Dinkes et al. (2009) by providing 

estimates detailing the relationship between reports of school crime and characteristics of 

students and schools derived from the 2007 SCS. 

In school year 2006–07, about 4.3 percent of students were the victim of any crime at 

school, 3.0 percent were victims of theft, 1.6 percent were victims of a violent crime, and 

0.4 percent were victims of a serious violent crime (table 1). Further, 1.3 percent of students 

reported being victims of simple assault at school (classified as a violent crime but not a 

serious violent crime), and less than 1 percent reported being victims of a robbery or 

aggravated assault at school (both of which are serious violent crimes). Subsequent sections 

of this report elaborate on the relationship among characteristics of victims and nonvictims 

of violent crime and theft and student reports of school climate, security measures at school, 

and fear and avoidance behaviors. 

Table 1. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal victimization at school and those who 

reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, by type of victimization: School year 

2006–07

Type of victimization Percent of students

None 95.7

Any 4.3

Theft 3.0

Personal larceny #

Other theft 3.0

Violent 1.6

Simple assault 1.3

Serious violent 0.4

Rape and sexual assault 0.1

Robbery 0.2!

Aggravated assault 0.1!

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 to 50 percent of the estimate’s value. 

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and completed 

thefts, excluding motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is involved. “Violent” 

includes serious violent crimes and simple assault. “Serious violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated 

assault. “Any” includes violent crimes and theft. “At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on 

the way to or from school. Student reports of “theft” and “violent” victimization may not sum to “any” victimization because 

respondents can report more than one victimization. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
6

Characteristics of Victims of Crime at School

Victimization at school may be associated with student characteristics (including sex, race/ 

ethnicity, grade level, and household income) or school characteristics (e.g., public vs. 

private school).

Sex

In school year 2006–07, no measurable differences were found between the percentages of 

males and females who reported being victims of any crime, theft, or violent crime at 

school. A larger percentage of both male and female students were victims of theft (3.0 

percent each) than were victims of violent crime (1.7 percent of males and 1.4 percent of 

females) (table 2). 

Race/Ethnicity5

No measurable differences were found among the percentages of White, Black, Hispanic 

students, and students of all other races who reported being victims of any crime, theft, or 

violent crime at school (table 2). Among White students, a higher percentage reported being 

victims of theft (3.1 percent) than of violent crime at school (1.5 percent).

Grade Level

In school year 2006–07, a higher percentage of students in 9th grade reported theft 

victimization (4.6 percent) than did students in grades 7, 8, or 11 (about 3 percent each) or 

grade 12 (1.9 percent) (table 2). The percentage of students in 7th grade who reported being 

victims of a violent crime at school (2.4 percent) was higher than that of students in 9th 

grade and 12th grade (1.2 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively).

Household Income6

An analysis of student household income found that a higher percentage of students living 

in households with incomes of $35,000–49,999 reported experiencing any crime (6.5 

percent) than did students in households with incomes of $7,500–14,999 (3.3 percent) (table 

2). In addition, a higher percentage of students living in households with incomes of 

$35,000–49,999 reported a violent crime (3.0 percent) than did students in households with 

incomes of $50,000 or more (1.0 percent).

5 For ease of presentation, White, not Hispanic or Latino students, Black, not Hispanic or Latino students, Hispanic or Latino 

students, and students of all other races are referred to as White, Black, Hispanic, and students of all other races here and for 

the remainder of the report. “All other races” includes Asians, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians (including Alaska 

Natives) and respondents of two or more races. For this report, not Hispanic or Latino students who identified themselves as 

being of two or more races (1 percent of all respondents) were included in the “all other races” category. Respondents who 

identified themselves as being of Hispanic or Latino origin were classified as “Hispanic,” regardless of their race.

6 The income categories presented in this report are a recoding of the 14 categories offered in the NCVS-1 Basic Screen 

Questionnaire. Adjacent categories were collapsed to be consistent with other NCES products produced from this dataset 

(see the table library at the NCES Crime and Safety Surveys portal at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime). Readers should use 

caution when interpreting the results of analysis from these collapsed categories. As with all categorical data, results may differ 

from different category breakdowns.
7

School Sector (Public/Private)

The percentage of public school students who reported being victims of any crime (4.6 

percent) and theft (3.2 percent) was higher than that of private school students (1.1 percent 

each for any crime and theft) (table 2).

Table 2. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal victimization at school and those who 

reported criminal victimization at school, by type of victimization and selected student and school 

characteristics: School year 2006–07

Student and school 

characteristic

Total number of

students

Type of victimization

None Any Theft Violent

Total 25,967,000 95.7 4.3 3.0 1.6

Sex

Male 13,222,000 95.5 4.5 3.0 1.7

Female 12,745,000 96.0 4.0 3.0 1.4

Race/ethnicity

White, not Hispanic or Latino 15,581,000 95.7 4.3 3.1 1.5

Black, not Hispanic or Latino 4,000,000 95.7 4.3 3.0 1.6!

Hispanic or Latino 4,471,000 96.4 3.6 2.2 1.4

All other races,

not Hispanic or Latino1 1,916,000 94.4 5.6 3.8 2.3!

Grade

6th 2,465,000 95.9 4.1 2.7 1.5!

7th 4,039,000 95.3 4.7 2.7 2.4

8th 4,012,000 95.6 4.4 2.5 2.1

9th 4,149,000 94.7 5.3 4.6 1.2!

10th 3,966,000 95.6 4.4 3.6 1.2!

11th 3,919,000 96.0 4.0 2.6 1.5

12th 3,417,000 97.3 2.7 1.9 0.8!

Household income

Less than $7,500 762,000 96.5 3.5! 2.8! ‡

$7,500–14,999 998,000 96.7 3.3! ‡ 2.3!

$15,000–24,999 1,860,000 96.0 4.0 2.1! 2.1!

$25,000–34,999 2,120,000 94.1 5.9 4.5 2.2!

$35,000–49,999 3,423,000 93.5 6.5 4.0 3.0

$50,000 or more 11,521,000 96.2 3.8 2.9 1.0

Student-reported school type

Public 23,751,000 95.4 4.6 3.2 1.7

Private 2,208,000 98.9 1.1! 1.1! #

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 to 50 percent of the estimate’s value. 

‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate’s value.

1 “All other races, not Hispanic or Latino” includes Asians, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians (including Alaska 

Natives) and respondents of two or more races. For this report, not Hispanic or Latino students who identified themselves 

as being of two or more races (1 percent of all respondents) were included in the “all other races, not Hispanic or Latino” 

category. Respondents who identified themselves as being of Hispanic or Latino origin were classified as “Hispanic or 

Latino,” regardless of their race.

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and 

completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force 

is involved. “Violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes 

violent crimes and theft. “At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way to or from 

school. Student reports of “theft” and “violent” victimization may not sum to “any” victimization because respondents 

can report more than one victimization. Detail does not sum to total number of students because of rounding, missing 

data (“household income”), or because response category “don’t know” is not shown (“student-reported school type”). 

Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National 

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
Figure 1. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported conditions of an unfavorable school climate, by 

reports of criminal victimization at school: School year 2006–07

Unfavorable school conditions

Percent

0

20

40

60

80

100

Guns Gangs 1 Physical fight2 Drugs available3 Alcohol available Hate-related 

graffiti

Type of victimization None Any Theft Violent

23

38

32

49

2 4! 3!

7! 6

23

12

43

32

49 48 50

18

27 28 26

34

50 51 48

! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 to 50 percent of the estimate’s value.

1 Includes students who reported that they saw another student who brought a gun to school.

2 Includes students who reported being involved in one or more physical fights at school.

3 Includes students who reported that marijuana, crack, other forms of cocaine, uppers, downers, LSD, PCP, heroin, prescription drugs, or other drugs 

were available at school.

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts, excluding motor 

vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is involved. “Violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated 

assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes violent crimes and theft. “At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way 

to or from school. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey 

(NCVS), 2007.

8

Table 3. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal victimization at school and those 

who reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of conditions of school climate and type of 

victimization: School year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization

Gangs present 

at school

Saw student 

with a gun

Engaged in 

physical fight1

Drugs at 

school2

Alcohol 

at school

Saw haterelated graffiti

xxTotal 

None

Victimization

xxAny

xx Theft

xx Violent

23.2 

22.6 

38.0 

32.1 

49.0 

1.8 

1.8 

3.6!

2.6!

7.0!

6.6 

5.9 

23.2 

12.2 

42.8 

32.3 

31.6 

48.9 

48.3 

50.3 

18.1 

17.7 

27.5 

28.2 

26.3 

35.0 

34.3 

49.7 

50.7

48.2

! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 to 50 percent of the estimate’s value. 

1 Includes students who reported being involved in one or more physical fights at school. 2 Includes students who reported that marijuana, crack, other forms of cocaine, uppers, downers, LSD, PCP, heroin, 

prescription drugs, or other drugs were available at school.

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and 

completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is 

involved. “Violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes violent 

crimes and theft. “At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way to or from school.

Student reports of “theft” and “violent” victimization may not sum to “any” victimization because respondents can report 

more than one victimization. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National 

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
9

Victimization and School Climate

In assessing the prevalence of school crime, it is also important to consider how the nature 

of the school climate may be associated with student criminal victimization. The 2007 SCS 

asked respondents about gangs, guns, fights, drugs, alcohol, and hate-related graffiti in their 

school. Specifically, students were asked if there were gangs at school, if they had seen 

another student with a gun at school, if they had engaged in a physical fight at school, if 

drugs7

 or alcohol were available at school, and if they had seen any hate-related graffiti at 

school. 

The findings show that there were measurable differences between victims and nonvictims 

of crime at school among various conditions of an unfavorable school climate in school year 

2006–07. Specifically, a higher percentage of victims of any crime than of nonvictims 

reported the presence of gangs at school (38.0 percent vs. 22.6 percent) (figure 1 and table 

3). Further, higher percentages of victims of theft (32.1 percent) and violence (49.0 percent) 

reported the presence of gangs at school than did nonvictims (22.6 percent).

Higher percentages of victims of any crime (23.2 percent) and violent crime (42.8 percent) 

report having engaged in a physical fight at school than did nonvictims (5.9 percent) (figure 1 

and table 3).The availability of drugs at school was reported by 48.9 percent of victims of 

any crime, 48.3 percent of theft victims, and 50.3 percent of victims of violence, compared 

to 31.6 percent of nonvictims. Alcohol availability at school was higher among victims of 

any crime (27.5 percent) and theft (28.2 percent) compared to that of nonvictims (17.7 

percent) (figure 1 and table 3). Higher percentages of student victims of any crime (49.7 

percent), theft (50.7 percent) and violence (48.2 percent) reported having seen hate-related 

graffiti at school that did nonvictims (34.3 percent). However, there was no measurable 

difference between the percentage of victims of any crime and of nonvictims who reported 

having seen another student with a gun at school (figure 1 and table 3). 

7 Students were asked whether marijuana, crack, cocaine, uppers, downers, LSD, PCP, heroin, prescription drugs, or other 

drugs were available at school.
10

Victimization and Bullying at School

Student bullying and cyberbullying are areas of concern for school authorities, as bullying8

behavior may be associated with more significant events of criminal victimization and 

offending behavior (Nansel et al. 2001). As in previous iterations of the SCS, the 2007 SCS 

asked students whether they were bullied using traditional9

 means at school during the 

2006–07 school year. New to the 2007 SCS, students were asked whether they were bullied 

by electronic means anywhere during the 2006–07 school year.10 With this newly available 

data on electronic bullying, this section is intended to provide comprehensive findings on 

student bullying by various methods. 

Findings show that in school year 2006–07 a higher percentage of students who reported 

being the victim of any crime at school also reported they were bullied using traditional 

means at school (62.2 percent) than did nonvictims of crime (30.4 percent) (figure 2 and 

table 4). Further, 56.5 percent of victims of theft and 80.1 percent of victims of violence 

also reported traditional bullying at school, compared to 30.4 percent of nonvictims.

About 11.6 percent of students who reported being the victim of any crime also reported 

they were bullied by electronic means anywhere, compared to 3.3 percent of nonvictims 

(figure 2 and table 4). Similarly, 10.7 percent of victims of theft and 13.9 percent of victims 

of violence reported electronic bullying, compared to 3.3 percent of nonvictims.

8 Readers may suspect that students who report bullying in the form of more overt physical attacks may be reporting many 

of the same instances in their reports of criminal victimization. However, these two concepts are addressed quite 

differently during data collection for the NCVS and SCS. For example, in the NCVS, detailed information from a screener 

questionnaire and incident report are used to determine whether a crime has been committed and the type of crime. In the 

SCS, students self-determine bullying victimization based on reports of several types of behavior. Although it is possible 

that students include victimizations that they reported previously in the NCVS screener and incident reports when 

responding to the SCS bullying items, it is not possible to make this distinction given the SCS questionnaire wording. As a 

result, they are reported as distinct events in this report.

9 Traditional bullying is victimization by a peer that occurred at school. Students were asked whether another student had made 

fun of them, spread rumors about them, threatened them with harm, pushed or shoved them, forced them to do 

something they did not want to do, excluded them from activities, or destroyed their property.

10 Electronic bullying is victimization by a peer that occurred anywhere via electronic means, including the Internet, 

instant messaging, and text messaging.
Figure 2. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported being bullied by traditional means at school or by 

electronic means anywhere, by reports of criminal victimization at school: School year 2006–07

Percent

0

20

40

60

80

100

Bullied by traditional 

means at school

Bullied by electronic 

means anywhere

Bullying

Type of victimization None Any Theft Violent

30

62

57

80

3

12 11 14

NOTE: “Traditional bullying” is victimization by a peer that occurred at school. Students were asked whether another student had made fun of them; 

spread rumors about them; threatened them with harm; pushed or shoved them; forced them to do something they did not want to do; excluded 

them; or destroyed their property. “Electronic bullying” is victimization by a peer that occurred anywhere via electronic means, including the Internet, 

instant messaging, and text messaging. “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and 

completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is involved. “Violent” includes rape, 

sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes violent crimes and theft. “At school” includes inside the school building, 

on school property, and on the way to or from school. Student reports of “theft” and “violent” victimization may not sum to “any” victimization because 

respondents can report more than one victimization. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey 

(NCVS), 2007

Table 4. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal victimization at school and those who 

reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of being bullied by traditional means at school or 

by electronic means anywhere and type of victimization: School year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization

Bullied by traditional 

means at school

Bullied by electronic 

means anywhere

xxTotal 31.7 3.7

None 30.4 3.3

Victimization

xxAny 62.2 11.6

xxxxxTheft 56.5 10.7

xxxxxViolent 80.1 13.9

NOTE: “Traditional bullying” is victimization by a peer that occurred at school. Students were asked whether another 

student had made fun of them; spread rumors about them; threatened them with harm; pushed or shoved them; forced 

them to do something they did not want to do; excluded them from activities; or destroyed their property. “Electronic 

bullying” is victimization by a peer that occurred anywhere via electronic means, including the Internet, instant messaging, 

and text messaging. “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all 

attempted and completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of 

force is involved. “Violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes 

violent crimes and theft. “At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way to or from 

school. Student reports of” theft” and “violent” victimization may not sum to “any” victimization because respondents can 

report more than one victimization. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.

11
12

Victimization and Security Measures at School

School authorities are faced with the important task of deciding which security measures to 

implement, including hiring law enforcement officers, using metal detectors or security 

cameras, locking entrances and exits during the school day, and using staff supervision in 

hallways. An analysis of the 2008 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS),11 a 

principal-based survey of U.S. public schools, found that 46 percent of schools used paid 

law enforcement or security at school during school hours, 5 percent of schools used 

random metal detector checks on students, and 55 percent used security cameras to monitor 

the school. 

The 2007 SCS asked students whether their schools used certain security measures. Among

 all students, 53.6 percent reported the use of locker checks, 10.1 percent reported the use of 

metal detectors, 66.0 percent reported the use of security cameras, and 60.9 percent reported 

the use of locked entrance or exit doors during the day during school year 2006–07 (table 

5). An examination of the data found no measurable differences between reports from 

victims of any crime, theft, or violent crime and nonvictims with regard to the use of locker 

checks, security cameras, or locked entrance or exit doors (figure 3 and table 5). However, a 

higher percentage of victims of any crime than of nonvictims reported that their schools had 

metal detectors (15.1 percent vs. 9.9 percent).

Students were also asked about the use of designated personnel and enforcement of 

administrative procedures to ensure student safety at school. Specifically, 68.8 percent of students 

reported security guards or assigned police officers, 90.0 percent reported staff supervision 

in the hallways, 24.3 percent reported a requirement that students wear picture identification, 

95.9 percent reported their school had a student code of conduct, and 94.3 percent reported a 

requirement that visitors sign in at their school (table 6). No measurable differences were found 

between victims of any crime, theft, or violent crime and nonvictims in their reports of the use of 

staff supervision in hallways, a requirement that students wear badges or picture identification, 

the use of a student code of conduct, and a requirement that visitors sign in (figure 4 and table 6). 

However, a higher percentage of victims of theft than of nonvictims reported that their schools 

used security guards or assigned police officers (78.7 percent vs. 68.4 percent)

Figure 3. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported the use of selected security measures to secure 

school buildings, by reports of criminal victimization at school: School year 2006–07

Security measures

Percent

0

20

40

60

80

100

Locker checks Metal detectors Security cameras Locked entrance or exit 

doors during 

the day

Type of victimization None Any Theft Violent

54

50 50

56

10

15 16 16

66

70 72

68

61 62 62 65

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts, excluding motor 

vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is involved. “Violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated 

assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes violent crimes and theft. ”At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way 

to or from school. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey 

(NCVS), 2007.

11 The 2008 SSOCS web tables are available for download from the principal/school surveys link at the NCES Crime and 

Safety Surveys portal, located at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime.
13

Table 5. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal victimization at school and those who 

reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of the use of selected security measures to 

secure school buildings and type of victimization: School year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization Locker checks Metal detectors Security cameras

Locked entrance or 

exit doors during the day

Total 53.6 10.1 66.0 60.9

None 53.7 9.9 65.9 60.8

Victimization

Any 50.5 15.1 70.2 61.9

Theft 50.5 15.9 71.8 62.2

Violent 56.1 16.4 67.7 65.2

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and 

completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is 

involved. “Violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes violent 

crimes and theft. “At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way to or from school. 

Student reports of “theft” and “violent” victimization may not sum to “any” victimization because respondents can report 

than one victimization. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.

Students were also asked about the use of designated personnel and enforcement of 

administrative procedures to ensure student safety at school. Specifically, 68.8 percent of 

students reported security guards or assigned police officers, 90.0 percent reported staff 

supervision in the hallways, 24.3 percent reported a requirement that students wear picture 

identification, 95.9 percent reported their school had a student code of conduct, and 94.3 

percent reported a requirement that visitors sign in at their school (table 6). No measurable 

differences were found between victims of any crime, theft, or violent crime and nonvictims 

in their reports of the use of staff supervision in hallways, a requirement that students wear 

badges or picture identification, the use of a student code of conduct, and a requirement that 

visitors sign in (figure 4 and table 6). However, a higher percentage of victims of theft than 

of nonvictims reported that their schools used security guards or assigned police officers 

(78.7 percent vs. 68.4 percent)
14

Figure 4. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported the use of security measures requiring the 

enforcement of administrative procedures at school, by reports of criminal victimization at school:

School year 2006–07

Security measures

Percent

0

20

40

60

80

100

Staff supervision in 

hallways

Students required to wear 

badges or picture 

identification

Security guards or 

assigned police 

officers

Student code of 

conduct

Visitors required to 

sign in

Type of victimization None Any Theft Violent

68

78 79

75

90 89 87

94

24 23 22

29

96 98 97 99

94 94 94 94

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts, excluding 

motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is involved. “Violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, 

aggravated assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes violent crimes and theft. “At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and 

on the way to or from school. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey 

(NCVS), 2007.

Table 6. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal victimization at school and those who 

reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of the use of security measures requiring the 

enforcement of administrative procedures and type of victimization: School year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization

Security guards 

or assigned 

police officers

Staff supervision in 

hallways

Students required to 

wear badges or picture 

identification

Student code 

of conduct

Visitors required 

to sign in

Total 68.8 90.0 24.3 95.9 94.3

None 68.4 90.1 24.4 95.8 94.3

Victimization

Any 78.0 88.6 23.5 97.7 93.8

Theft 78.7 86.9 21.5 97.5 94.2

Violent 74.9 94.1 28.9 98.5 94.3

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and 

completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is 

involved. “Violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes violent 

crimes and theft. “At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way to or from school. 

Student reports of “theft” and “violent” victimization may not sum to “any” victimization because respondents can report 

more than one victimization. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
15

Victimization, Fear, and Avoidance Behaviors at School

In the 2007 SCS, students were asked how often they had been afraid of an attack or harm 

at school during the school year. Students were also asked whether they skipped school or 

class, avoided extracurricular activities, or avoided specific places inside the school 

building because they thought someone might attack or harm them. 

The findings show that higher percentages of victims of any crime (12.7 percent) and of 

violent crime (23.2 percent) than of nonvictims (4.9 percent) reported being afraid of attack 

or harm in school year 2006–07 (figure 5 and table 7). About 3.6 percent of victims of any 

crime and 6.2 percent of victims of violent crime reported skipping school compared to 0.7 

percent of nonvictims. Similarly, 2.5 percent of victims of any crime reported skipping 

class, compared to 0.6 percent of nonvictims. When asked about avoiding school activities, 

a higher percentage of victims of any crime (5.1 percent) reported they did so than did 

nonvictims (5.1 percent vs. 1.6 percent) (figure 5 and table 7).

Students were also asked if they had avoided specific places inside the school building, 

including the entrance into the school, hallways or stairs, parts of the cafeteria, restrooms, 

and other places inside the school building. A higher percentage of victims of any crime and 

violent crime reported avoiding specific places in school than did nonvictims (13.1 percent, 

22.1 percent, and 5.4 percent, respectively) (figure 5 and table 7). 

Figure 5. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported personal avoidance behavior at school, by reports 

of criminal victimization at school: School year 2006–07

Avoidance behaviors

Percent

0

20

40

60

80

100

Feared attack or Skipped school Skipped class

harm1

Avoided school 

activities

Avoided a specific 

place at school2

‡ ‡

5

13

23

8

1 4! 6!1 3! 3! 2 5 5! 5! 5

13

9

22

Type of victimization None Any Theft Violent

! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 to 50 percent of the estimate’s value.

‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate’s value.

1 Includes fear of attack at school and on the way to or from school. Includes respondents who “sometimes” or “most of the time” were fearful at school.

2 Includes the entrance into the school, hallways or stairs, parts of the cafeteria, restrooms, and other places inside the school building.

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and completed thefts, excluding motor 

vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the threat or use of force is involved. “Violent” includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated 

assault, and simple assault. “Any” includes violent crimes and theft. ”At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way 

to or from school. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey 

(NCVS), 2007.
16

Table 7. Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal victimization at school and those who 

reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of personal avoidance behavior and type of 

victimization: School year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization

Feared attack or 

harm1

Skipped 

school

Skipped 

class

Avoided school 

activities

Avoided a 

specific place at 

school2

Total 5.2 0.8 0.7 1.8 5.7

None 4.9 0.7 0.6 1.6 5.4

Victimization

Any 12.7 3.6! 2.5! 5.1 13.1

Theft 8.4 ‡ 2.5! 5.1! 8.9

Violent 23.2 6.2! ‡ 5.2! 22.1

! Interpret data with caution. The standard error for this estimate is from 30 to 50 percent of the estimate’s value. 

‡ Reporting standards not met. The standard error for this estimate is equal to 50 percent or more of the estimate’s value.

1 Includes fear of attack at school and on the way to or from school. Includes respondents who “sometimes” or “most of the

time” were fearful at school.

2 Includes the entrance into the school, hallways or stairs, parts of the cafeteria, restrooms, and other places inside the 

school building.

NOTE: “Theft” includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and 

victimization because respondents can report more than one victimization. Population size for students ages 12–18 theft. 

“At school” includes inside the school building, on school property, and on the way to or from school. Student reports 

of “theft” and “violent” victimization may not sum to “any” victimization because respondents can report more than one 

victimization. Population size for students ages 12–18 is 25,967,000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
17

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Justice Statistics.

Furlong, M., Felix, E., and Sharkey, J. (in press). The Effects of 30-Day and 1-Year Time 

Intervals on Students’ Reported School Violence Victimization. Santa Barbara: 

University of California. 

Gaskell, G.D., Wright, D.B., and O’Muircheartaigh, C.A. (2000). Telescoping of Landmark 

Events: Implications for Survey Research. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64: 77–89.

Gottfredson, M.R., and Hindelang, M.J. (1981). Sociological Aspects of Criminal 

Victimization. Annual Review of Sociology, 7: 107–128.

Hemenway, D., Azrael, D., and Miller, M. (2000). Gun Use in the United States: Results 

From Two National Surveys. Injury Prevention, 6(4): 263–267.

Hilton, N, Harris, G, and Rice, M. (1998). On the Validity of Self-Reported Rates of 

Interpersonal Violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13: 58–72.

Khoury-Kassabri, M., Astor, R.A., and Benbenishty, R. (2007). Weapon Carrying in Israeli 

Schools: The Contribution of Individual and School Factors. Health Education & 

Behavior, 34(3): 453–470.

Nansel, T., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, J., Simons-Morton, B., and Scheidt, P. (2001). 

Bullying Behaviors Among U.S. Youth. Journal of the American Medical Association, 

285: 2094–2100.

Ruddy, S., Bauer, L., and Neiman, S. (2010). A Profile of Criminal Incidents at School: 

Results From the 2003–05 National Crime Victimization Survey Crime Incident Report 

(NCES 2010-318). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, 

U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.
18

Sandefur, G.D., Meier, A.M., and Campbell, M.E. (2006). Family Resources, Social 

Capital, and College Attendance. Social Science Research, 35(2): 525–553.

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A-1

Appendix A: Technical Notes
A-2

Sponsorship and Purpose of the Survey 

The School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) was 

jointly designed by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education 

Statistics (NCES) and the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. More 

information about this survey can be found at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime. Data used 

to produce this report are available for download from the student surveys link at the NCES 

Crime and Safety Surveys portal, located at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime.

Created as a supplement to the NCVS, the SCS has been conducted in 1989, 1995, 1999, 

2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 to collect information about student and school 

characteristics on a national level. The survey was designed to assist policymakers, as well 

as academic researchers and practitioners at the federal, state, and local levels, in making 

informed decisions concerning crime in schools. The SCS asks students a number of 

questions about their experiences with and perceptions of crime and violence occurring 

inside their school, on school grounds, on the school bus, and from 2001 onward, going to 

or from school. The SCS contains additional questions not included in the NCVS, such as 

those concerning preventive measures used by the school, students’ participation in afterschool activities, students’ perceptions of school rules, the presence of weapons and gangs 

in school, the presence of hate-related words and graffiti in school, student reports of 

bullying and rejection at school, the availability of drugs and alcohol in school, and 

students’ attitudes relating to fear of victimization and avoidance behavior at school. 

Sample Design and Data Collection

Each month, the U.S. Census Bureau selects respondents for the NCVS using a “rotating 

panel” design. Households are selected into the sample using a stratified, multistage cluster 

design. In the first stage, the primary sampling units (PSUs), consisting of counties or 

groups of counties are selected, and smaller areas, called Enumeration Districts (EDs), are 

selected within each sampled PSU. Within each ED, clusters of four households, called 

segments, are selected. Across all EDs, sampled households are then divided into discrete 

groups (rotations), and all age-eligible individuals in the households become part of the 

panel. 

Once in the panel, respondents are administered NCVS every 6 months (for a total of seven 

interviews over a 3-year period) to determine whether they have been victimized during the 

6 months preceding the interview. The SCS questionnaire is administered after the NCVS to 

eligible persons in the sample. The first interview is considered the incoming rotation, while 

the second through the seventh interviews are considered continuing rotations. 

The first NCVS/SCS interview is administered face-to-face using computer assisted 

personal interviewing (CAPI); the remaining interviews are administered by telephone 

using CAPI unless circumstances call for an in-person interview. After the seventh 

interview, the household leaves the panel and a new household is rotated into the sample. 

This type of rotation scheme is used to reduce the respondent burden that might result if 

households were to remain in the sample permanently. It should be noted that the data from 

the NCVS/SCS interviews obtained in the incoming rotation are included in the SCS data 

file. The implications of examining data from unbounded and bounded interviews are 

discussed in the “Survey Limitations” section below. 
A-3

The SCS is administered to all eligible respondents within NCVS households between 

January and June of the year of data collection. In order to be eligible for the SCS, students 

must be 12 through 18 years old, have attended school in grades 6 through 12 at some point 

during the school year, and have not had any homeschooling during the school year.1

 In 

2007, there were approximately 50,000 households in the NCVS sample, and 11,161 NCVS 

respondents were eligible to complete the SCS. Of the eligible respondents, 6,503 

completed the 2007 SCS and 5,621 met the criteria for inclusion in this analysis. These 

criteria are detailed in the glossary of variables. 

The prevalence of victimization for the 2007 SCS was calculated by using NCVS incident 

variables appended to the SCS data file. The NCVS “type of crime” (TOC) variable was 

used to classify victimizations of students in SCS as serious violent, violent, or theft. 

NCVS-2 variables asking where the incident happened and what the victim was doing when 

it happened were used to ascertain whether the incident happened at school. 

Changes in Questionnaire Wording

The SCS questionnaire has been modified in several ways since its inception. First, in 1995 

and 1999, “at school” was defined for respondents as in the school building, on the school 

grounds, or on a school bus. In 2001, the definition for “at school” was changed to mean in 

the school building, on school property, on a school bus, or going to and from school. This 

change was made to the 2001 questionnaire in order to be consistent with the definition of 

“at school” in NCVS; the same change was made to the 2003, 2005, and 2007 

questionnaires. Cognitive interviews conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau on the 1999 

SCS suggested that modifications to the definition of “at school” would not have a 

substantial impact on the estimates. 

Second, in 2007, the time period that respondents were asked to reference for the entire SCS 

was revised from “the last 6 months” to “this school year.” This change was largely based 

on feedback obtained from students ages 12 through 18 who reviewed the items during 

cognitive laboratory evaluations conducted by the Census Bureau. These respondents 

revealed they were not being strict in their interpretation of the 6-month reference period 

and were responding based on their experiences during the entire school year. Further, 

Furlong et al. (2005) found that among students in grades 9-12, estimates of school safetyrelated experiences among matched students in the same school were not significantly 

different between those referencing the past 30 days and those referencing the past 12 

months. Hilton and colleagues (1998) also found that self-reports of interpersonal violence 

among students are “insensitive” to specified time frames, in that study “participants 

reported almost the same number of violent acts in the past month as in the past year.” In 

2007, no change in reference period was made for criminal victimizations as reported in the 

main NCVS. That is, criminal victimizations at school are reported for the 6-month period 

prior to the date of interview while school characteristics reported in the SCS are reported 

for the last school year. Analyses of the data show no measurable change in estimates of 

1 Persons who have dropped out of school, have been expelled or suspended from school, or are temporarily absent from 

school for any other reason, such as illness or vacation, are eligible as long as they have attended school at any time during 

the school year. Students who are homeschooled as all or part of their schooling are not included past the screening

questions, since many of the questions in SCS are not relevant to their situation. 
A-4

students reporting specific school characteristics from the SCS and, as expected, no 

measurable change in estimates of criminal victimization from the NCVS between 2005 to 

2007. 

Third, the SCS questions pertaining to fear and avoidance have been changed. In 1995, 

1999, 2003, and 2005, students were asked if they were fearful or avoidant because they 

thought someone would “attack or harm” them. In 2001, students were asked if they were 

fearful or avoidant because they thought someone would “attack or threaten to attack” them. 

In the 1999 and 2001 SCS surveys, students were asked to exclude times they were at 

school or going to or from school in the question about fear away from school. In 2003, 

2005, and 2007, when asked about fear away from school, students were asked to exclude 

times they were at school; however, in these years the definition of “at school” included 

going to and from school. These changes should be considered when making comparisons 

across survey years. 

Fourth, the introduction to and definition of gangs, as well as the placement of the item 

about gangs in the questionnaire, were changed beginning with the 2001 SCS. Thus, the 

reader should be cautioned not to compare estimates of gangs based on 2007 SCS data 

presented in this report with estimates of gangs based on data prior to the 2001 SCS. 

Finally, in 2005, the SCS question pertaining to bullying was changed. In 1999, 2001, and 

2003, students were asked a single question about bullying, whereas the 2005 SCS included 

a series of questions (students were not asked about bullying in the 1995 SCS). Because of 

significant changes in questionnaire wording, comparisons between the 2007 SCS questions 

on bullying and the question in survey years prior to 2005 should be made with caution.

Classification of Crimes

The NCVS TOC variable appended to the SCS data file is used to classify victimizations of 

students in the SCS as any victimization, violent victimization, or theft. “Any” victimization 

is a combination of violent victimization and theft. Thus, if a student reports an incident of 

either violent victimization or theft, or both, he or she is counted as having experienced 

“any” victimization. Serious violent crimes include rape, sexual assault, robbery, and 

aggravated assault. Violent crimes include serious violent crimes and simple assault. Theft 

includes attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all 

attempted and completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include 

robbery, in which the threat or use of force is involved. The NCVS captures each crime 

within a victimization and classifies the victimization according to the most serious crime. 

Estimates reported in this report are based on the prevalence, or percentage, of students who 

experience victimizations. Respondents could report that as many as seven victimizations 

occurred during the reporting period, allowing for the possibility of multiple incidents per 

person and multiple crimes per incident. However, when examining prevalence, each 

student is counted only once as having experienced any of the various types of criminal 

victimizations at school (e.g., theft, violent, or serious violent crime), regardless of how 

many times they occurred. Measuring student victimization in this way provides the 

percentages of students who are directly affected by victimization, rather than the number of 

victimizations that occur.
A-5

Survey Limitations

In addition to concerns about measurement error resulting from nonresponse and changes in 

questionnaire wording, other limitations are worth noting. The first consideration is 

sampling error. Because the sample of students selected for each administration of the SCS 

is just one of many possible samples that could have been selected, it is possible that 

estimates from a given SCS student sample may differ from estimates that would have been 

produced from other student samples. 

The effects of unbounded and bounded interviews should also be considered (Cantor and 

Lynch 2000). According to Addington (2005), the effects of bounding may not be a concern 

when reporting victimization using a 6-month window; however, this possibility should be 

acknowledged. When producing victimization estimates using the NCVS data appended to 

the SCS, data from the first unbounded interview are included, this may result in reporting 

events outside of the reference period. Beginning in 2006, the Bureau of Justice Statistics 

also began including these unbounded interviews in their estimates using the larger NCVS. 

Literature concerning such “forward telescoping” has found varying estimates of inflation 

rates caused by unbounded interviews, with some studies reporting increases as high as 40–

50 percent (Hemenway, Azrael, and Miller 2000) and others reporting an increase of 10 

percent or less (Gaskell, Wright, and O’Muircheartaigh 2000). On a crime-specific basis, 

Gottfredson and Hindelang (1981) found that unbounded interviews typically yielded 

reports of victimization that were 20 percent greater than those from bounded interviews. In

 the current analysis, 24 percent of SCS interviews were new to the NCVS panel. Because 

first-time interviews are unbounded, there is a chance that victimizations preceding the 

desired 6-month reference period may be included. To the extent that they are, victimization 

reports may be inflated. However, adjustments to the weights provided on the data file take 

into account the inclusion of these unbounded interviews and are described below.

Unit and Item Response Rates 

A unit response rate is, at its most basic level, the ratio of surveys completed by eligible 

respondents to the total count of eligible respondents. Unit response rates can be 

unweighted or weighted and are traditionally reported because they reflect the potential 

effects of nonsampling error and indicate whether portions of the population are 

underrepresented due to nonresponse. In some surveys, this calculation can be rather 

complicated because it is difficult to distinguish between eligible and ineligible units. 

Because SCS interviews with students could only be completed after households had 

responded to the NCVS, the unit completion rate for the SCS reflects both the household 

interview completion rate and the student interview completion rate. A total of 6,503 

students participated in the 2007 SCS. The unweighted household completion rate was 90 

percent, and the unweighted student completion rate was 58 percent. The overall 

unweighted SCS unit response rate (calculated by multiplying the household completion 

rate by the student completion rate) was 53 percent. Because the NCVS is designed to be a 

self-weighting sample, the weighted completion rates are the same as the unweighted completion 

rates.

The rate at which respondents provide a valid response to a given item in the survey 

instrument is referred to as the item response rate. Item response rates for most items used 
A-6

in this report were over 97 percent for all eligible respondents. For most questions in the 

SCS, “don’t know” and refusal responses were not offered explicitly, but were considered 

valid if given by the respondent. In this report, “don’t know” was included in the analysis 

when it appeared as a response option in the questionnaire. No explicit imputation 

procedure was used to correct for item nonresponse.

Unit Nonresponse Bias Analysis

NCES requires that any stage of data collection within a survey that has a unit baseweighted response rate of less than 85 percent be evaluated for the potential magnitude of 

nonresponse bias before the data or any analysis using the data may be released (U.S. 

Department of Education 2003). The existence of nonresponding students has the potential 

to introduce bias into survey estimates, depending on the magnitude of the nonresponse and 

whether differences exist between responding and nonresponding students in characteristics 

related to the estimates of interest.

Nonresponse can affect the strength and application of survey data both by leading to an 

increase in variance as a result of a reduction in the actual size of the sample and by 

introducing bias in outcomes of interest. Both low response rates and/or large differences 

between respondents and nonrespondents on key survey variables can lead to unit 

nonresponse bias, as the magnitude of unit nonresponse bias is determined by multiplying 

these two factors. Thus, low response rates may not lead to bias if respondents and 

nonrespondents do not differ on the outcome of interest. Alternatively, high response rates 

may not indicate low unit response bias if there are large differences between respondents 

and nonrespondents on the outcome of interest. 

Due to the low-weighted unit response rate in 2007 (53 percent), a unit nonresponse bias 

analysis was performed to determine the extent to which there might be bias in the estimates 

produced using SCS data. The SCS sampling frame has three key student characteristic 

variables for which data are known for respondents and nonrespondents—sex, 

race/ethnicity, and household income. To the extent that there are differential responses by 

respondents in these groups, nonresponse bias is a concern. 

The analysis of unit nonresponse bias found evidence of potential bias for the race/ethnicity 

and household income variables. White and Black respondents had higher response rates 

than did Hispanic respondents. Respondents from households with incomes of $25,000 or 

more had higher response rates than those from households with incomes of less than 

$25,000. However, when answers to these items from responding students were compared 

to the eligible NCVS sample, no measurable differences were found. This suggests that 

differential response rates in the race/ethnicity and household income variables occurred 

mainly at the NCVS level, rather than at the SCS level (see subsequent analysis of these two 

factors under item nonresponse bias analysis section on page A-7). 

Weighting adjustments were computed for the NCVS and SCS to account for nonresponse 

(see the Weighting section on page A-9 for additional information). Before adjustments for 

nonresponse, the ratio of the SCS respondent population (15,301,559) to the estimate of the 

population eligible for the SCS survey (30,229,033) was .506. Once the weights were 

adjusted for nonresponse, the ratio of the adjusted SCS respondent population 
A-7

(29,923,071) to the total population eligible for the SCS survey (30,229,033) was .990, 

revealing how effectively the final weights have adjusted for nonresponse. While a measure 

of the ratio of the estimate of nonrespondents to total eligible in the population is possible 

(14,927,474/30,229,033), it is not possible to determine the estimate of nonrespondents 

adjusted for non-response, since the weights are adjusted for respondents to the SCS. For 

these reasons weighted estimates of respondents were used to calculate measures of bias.

The estimate of the SCS respondent population before nonresponse adjustments were made 

to the sample was 15,301,559. This was calculated by multiplying the 6,503 respondents by 

2,353, the base sampling weight for the NCVS. The estimate of the SCS respondent 

population after nonresponse adjustments were made was 29,923,071. This was calculated 

by weighting the 6,503 respondents with the final SCS weight. The total population of 12-

to-18-year olds is 30,229,033, a population control, which was obtained from Census data 

for 2007, was used to adjust the weights. 

Item Nonresponse Bias Analysis 

As in most surveys, the responses to some items are not obtained for all interviews in the 

SCS, which can lead to item nonresponse bias. There are numerous reasons for item 

nonresponse. Some respondents may not know the answer to an item or may not want to 

respond for other reasons, or the interview may have been interrupted and not completed. 

Item nonresponse can also occur when inconsistencies are discovered after the interview 

and responses must be set to missing.

Unweighted item response rates are calculated by dividing the number of interviewed 

respondents that responded to an item by the number of eligible respondents asked to 

respond to the item. The mean item weighted2

 response rate for the 2007 NCVS/SCS was 

greater than 97 percent and, therefore, there is little potential for item nonresponse bias for 

most items in the survey. For the items with weighted response rates lower than 85 percent, 

however, the potential for nonresponse bias exists.3

 The four items with response rates less 

than 85 percent are listed in table A-1. Of these four variables, the NCVS household income 

item (SC214) is the only item that is used as an analytic variable in this report. Therefore, 

only the results of the item nonresponse bias analysis for this variable are discussed. 

Since item nonresponse bias may be viewed as a function of both the item response rate and 

the extent to which the item respondents differ from the item nonrespondents, bounds on the 

item nonresponse bias may be obtained by imposing extreme assumptions on the item 

nonrespondents. This procedure evaluates how missing values impact the non-imputed distribution 

of responses, referred to as the “original distribution,” by imputing nonresponse items using 

extreme values. In order to assess possible nonresponse bias in the SCS data, 

sets of imputed values were generated by imposing extreme assumptions on the item 

2 The SCS person weight (SCSWT) was used to calculate item response rates.

3 Since the mean item response rate for survey items was above 97 percent, even if the item nonrespondents differ 

considerably from the respondents, the item nonresponse bias will be negligible for most items. For items that had a small 

number of respondents, other sources of error, such as sampling error, and disclosure risk, could have a much larger effect 

on estimates than item nonresponse bias. Therefore, only items that had 30 or more respondents were included in the item 

nonresponse bias analysis. For the same reason, items for which less than 100 respondents were eligible and had item 

response rates of less than 30 percent were excluded.
A-8

nonrespondents. For polytomous items, such as household income, a “low” imputed 

value variable was created by resetting imputed values to the lowest value in the original 

distribution, and a “high” imputed value variable was created by resetting imputed values 

to the highest value in the original distribution. Both the “low” imputed value variable 

distributions and the “high” imputed value variable distributions were compared to the original 

distributions. If measurable differences exist between the original and imputed samples, there 

is potential for bias in the particular item. 

When the original income distributions of item respondents and all eligible item respondents 

were compared to the “low” and “high” imputed value item distributions, a measurable 

difference was found for race. White respondents had higher rates of response for this item 

than Black respondents. This evidence of potential bias warranted further examination of the 

income variable. 

Table A-1. Detail of items included in the NCVS/SCS item nonresponse bias analysis, by

variable source code: School year 2006-2007 

Variable 

source code

Detail of items included in the NCVS/SCS item nonresponse bias analysis

Variable description

Data 

Source

Eligible 

respondents

Weighted 

response rate 

(percent)

Unweighted 

response rate 

(percent)

SC165

How often were you 

harassed by another 

student? SCS 283 72.1 72.4

SC166

Did you notify a 

teacher or adult of this 

harassment? SCS 283 72.1 72.4

SC214 Household income NCVS-1 5,623 79.6 79.9

SC115

How many days skip 

at least one class in 

last 4 weeks? SCS 358 80.6 80.7

NOTE: Only items that had 30 or more respondents or items that were applicable to 100 or more respondents and had item 

response rates of 30 percent or more were included in the item nonresponse bias analysis.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.

As discussed above, potential nonresponse bias may exist in the household income item due 

to the difference between respondents and nonrespondents across this item. Due to time and 

budgetary constraints, a nonresponse follow-up survey could not be performed in which 

income item nonrespondents could be contacted to see if their incomes truly differed from 

income item respondents. In lieu of this type of study, a response propensity analysis was 

performed where the distributions of income respondents and nonrespondents were 

compared within SCS variables considered to be associated with income (Bachman, 

Johnston, and O’Malley 1981; Blum et al. 2000; Khoury-Kassabri, Astor, and Benbenishty 

2007; Sandefur, Meier, and Campbell 2006) using the likelihood-ratio Chi-squared test. If 

income nonrespondents and respondents do not differ on items associated with income, then 

it could be posited that income respondents and nonrespondents do not differ on the income 

item itself. The following items were examined in the propensity analysis: 
A-9

• School sector (public or private)

• School church-related

• Alcohol availability at school

• Drug availability at school (marijuana, crack, cocaine, uppers, downers, LSD, PCP, 

heroin)

• Knew other students were on drugs/alcohol at school

• Offered illegal drugs or alcohol at school

• Brought a gun, knife, or other weapon to school 

• Have seen a student with a gun at school

• Presence of gangs at school and how often they are in fights or involved in violence at 

school

• Gangs sell drugs at school

• Will attend school after high school

• Will graduate from a 4-year college

Further analysis on the income item that compared the distributions of respondents and 

nonrespondents within survey items associated with income yielded evidence of potential 

bias. Specifically, a higher percentage of income item nonrespondents reported having seen 

a student with a gun at school than did income item respondents. A lower percentage of 

income item nonrespondents reported that they would likely attend school after high school 

or attend a 4-year college after high school than did income item respondents. 

The item nonresponse bias analysis concludes that while income has different response 

propensities for race/ethnicity, it might not be problematic because the distributions of 

income respondents and nonrespondents within most items associated with income were 

similar for all examined items except “have seen a student with a gun at school,” “will 

attend school after high school,” and “will graduate from a 4-year college.” Readers should 

use caution when interpreting the results derived from the income variable.

Weighting

The purpose of the SCS is to be able to make inferences about criminal victimization in the 

12- to 18-year-old student population in the United States. Before such inferences can be drawn, 

it is important to adjust, or “weight,” the sample of students to ensure it is similar to the entire 

population in this age group. The weights used in this report are a combination of householdlevel and person-level adjustment factors. In the NCVS, adjustments were made to account for 

both household- and person-level noninterviews. Additional factors were then applied to reduce 

the variance of the estimate by correcting for the differences between the sample distributions of 

age, race, and sex and the known population distributions of these characteristics. The resulting 

weights were assigned to all interviewed households and persons in the file. 

A special weighting adjustment was performed on the SCS data. Noninterview adjustment 

factors were computed to adjust the weighting for SCS noninterviews, and two SCS person 

weights were computed as a result of applying special adjustment factors to the final NCVS 
A-10

person weight. The first SCS weight computed was derived using the final NCVS person 

weight that was calculated for all interviewed persons in interviewed continuing households 

and applying a within-SCS noninterview adjustment factor. This weight should be used if 

producing NCVS estimates using only the continuing rotations. The second SCS weight 

was derived using the final NCVS person weight that was calculated for all interviewed 

persons in continuing and incoming households and applying a within-SCS noninterview 

adjustment factor. This weight should be used if producing SCS estimates using all rotations 

and was used to derive the estimates in this report.

Standard Errors

The sample of students selected for each administration of the SCS is just one of many 

possible samples that could have been selected, so it is possible that estimates from a given 

SCS student sample may differ from estimates that would have been produced from other 

student samples. This type of variability is called sampling error because it arises from 

using a sample of students rather than all students. The standard error is a measure of the 

variability of a parameter estimate. It indicates how much variation there is in the 

population of possible estimates of a parameter for a given sample size. The probability that 

a complete census count would differ from the sample estimate by less than one standard 

error is about 0.68. The probability that the difference would be less than 1.65 standard 

errors is about 0.90, and the probability that the difference would be less than 1.96 standard 

errors is about 0.95. Standard errors for the estimates discussed in this report are presented 

in appendix B.

The standard error is calculated for each estimate provided in order to determine the 

“margin of error” for the estimates. The standard errors of the estimates for different 

subpopulations can vary considerably and should be taken into account when making 

comparisons. It should also be acknowledged that apparently large differences between 

estimates may not have measurable differences, which may be due to large standard errors. 

Standard errors are typically developed assuming the sample is drawn with equal 

probability. Since the SCS sample is not a simple random sample, calculation of the 

standard errors requires procedures that are markedly different from those used when the 

data are from a simple random sample. To estimate the statistics and standard errors, this 

report utilized the Taylor series approximation method4

 using primary sampling unit (PSU) 

and strata variables available in the data file. 

Another way that standard errors can be calculated is by using generalized variance function 

(gvf) constant parameters. The gvf represents the curve fitted to the individual standard 

errors calculated using the Jackknife Repeated Replication technique. The three constant 

parameters (a, b, and c) derived from the curve-fitting process are provided in table A-2 for 

those who prefer to use this method of calculating standard errors:5

4 Further information about the Taylor series approximation method can be found in Wolter (1985). 

5 A more detailed description of the gvf constant parameters developed for NCVS and SCS can be found at 

http://ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cvus/cvus01mt.pdf. 
A-11

Table A-2. Generalized variance function constant parameters for the School Crime

Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey, by school year:

School year 2006–2007

Generalized variance function constant parameters

School year a b c

2007 -0.00035872 3,084 3.685

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (n.d.) National Crime Victimization Survey: 

School Crime Supplement, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2009, from https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/ICPSR.

To calculate the standard errors associated with percentages, the following formula is used:

standard error of p

3/2 standard error of x

where p is the percentage of interest expressed as a proportion and y is the size of the 

population to which the percentage applies. Once the standard error of the proportion is 

estimated, it needs to be multiplied by 100 to make it applicable to the percentage.

To calculate the adjusted standard errors associated with population counts, the following 

formula is used:

where x is the estimated number of students who experienced a given event (e.g., violent 

victimization).

The U.S. Census Bureau has developed a set of programs to calculate NCVS generalized 

variance formulas, known as SIGMA programs. To facilitate the use of these formulas, 

spreadsheet versions of these SIGMA programs that allow users to enter gvf constants and 

values in appropriate cells are available on the Bureau of Justice Statistics website 

(http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs). Spreadsheet macros then calculate the appropriate variances 

and standard errors and perform tests for any differences requested.

Statistical Tests

Comparisons that have been drawn in the text of this report have been tested for statistical 

significance to ensure the differences are larger than those that might be expected due to 

sampling variation. All statements cited in the report are statistically significant at the .05 

level. The statistical comparisons in this report are based on Student’s t statistic. Whether 

the statistical test is considered significant or not is determined by calculating a t value for 

the difference between a pair of means or proportions and comparing this value to published 

tables of values, called critical values. The alpha level is an a priori statement of the 

probability that a difference exists in fact rather than by chance. Adjustments for multiple 

comparisons were not included.

The t statistic between estimates from various subgroups presented in the tables can be 

computed by using the following formula:
A-12

t

SE1

2 SE2

2

−

where x1 and x2 are the estimates to be compared (e.g., the means of sample members in two 

groups) and SE1

 and SE2 are their corresponding standard errors.

To identify characteristics associated with unit nonresponse, a multivariate analysis was 

performed using a categorical search algorithm called Chi-Square Automatic Interaction 

Detection (CHAID). Unit nonresponse bias may be mitigated through statistical adjustments 

that take advantage of relationships between auxiliary variables and the probability of 

response. Within the levels of a particular characteristic, CHAID identifies the next best 

predictor(s) of response, until a tree is formed with all of the response predictors that were 

identified at each step. The final result is a division of the entire dataset into cells that have 

the greatest discrimination with respect to the unit response rates. In other words, CHAID 

divides the dataset into groups within which the unit response rate is as constant as possible 

and between which the unit response rate is as different as possible, creating nonresponse 

adjustment cells. This procedure identifies the characteristics of data that are the best 

predictors of response.

Glossary of Variables Used

Each variable used in the analyses for this report is described below, along with the source 

code for the particular variable. The data file contains all variables collected in the SCS as 

well as selected variables collected in the NCVS Basic Screen Questionnaire (NCVS-1) that 

have been appended to the SCS. The data are available for download from the InterUniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research via the student surveys link at 

NCES’s Crime and Safety Surveys portal located at 

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime/surveys.asp. 

Prior to analysis, the 2007 SCS data file was filtered to include only students who were ages 

12 through 18 (using SC003 [RESPONDENT AGE]), were enrolled in grades 6 through 12 

(using SC008 [GRADE LEVEL IN SCHOOL]), were enrolled in school in the current 

school year (using SC006 [ATTEND SCHOOL THIS SCHOOL YEAR]), and were not 

homeschooled during that time (using SC092 [HOME-SCHOOLED]). Students who did not 

fulfill the school enrollment requirements were deleted from the analysis. The final 

unweighted sample size was 5,621. Victimization refers to incidents that occurred inside the 

school building, on school property, or on the way to or from school.

Variables Taken From the NCVS Basic Screen Questionnaire (NCVS-1) 

Household income (SC214): Household income refers to income as reported by the head of 

household and was collapsed into the following categories: (1) less than $7,500, (2) $7,500–

14,999, (3) $15,000–24,999, (4) $25,000–34,999, (5) $35,000–49,999, and (6) $50,000 or 

more. See question 12a in the selected items from the NCVS-1 questionnaire in appendix C.

Race/ethnicity, Hispanic origin (SC412R and SC413): SC412R asked respondents their race 

and SC413 asked respondents whether they are of Hispanic or Latino origin. Students 

who indicate they are not of Hispanic or Latino origin are classified according to the race they 

identify (e.g. White, not Hispanic or Latino, Black, not Hispanic or Latino). Beginning 
A-13

in 2003, students were given the option of identifying themselves as being of two or more 

races. Respondents who identified themselves as being of Hispanic or Latino origin were 

classified as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of their race. Students who were not of Hispanic 

origin and identified themselves as being of two or more races in 2007 (1 percent of all 

respondents) were included in the “all other races, not Hispanic or Latino” category. “All 

other races, not Hispanic or Latino” includes Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians 

(including Alaska Natives), and respondents of two or more races. See questions 27 and 28 

in the selected items from the NCVS-1 questionnaire in appendix C.

Sex (SC407A): SC407A asked respondents whether their sex was male or female. See 

question 23 in the selected items from the NCVS-1 questionnaire in appendix C.

Victimization (TOCNEW_1 through TOCNEW_7): Each SCS respondent represents a 

student who reported as many as seven incidents of victimization in the NCVS-1 in 2007. 

For each incident of victimization reported, an NCVS Crime Incident Report (NCVS-2) was 

completed. Data from incident reports, along with a “type of crime” code (TOC) derived 

from NCVS-2 responses, were appended to the SCS data file for each respondent who 

reported at least one victimization in the 6 months prior to the survey. These seven TOC 

codes were used to construct the serious violent, violent, and theft crime categories used in 

this report. 

Serious violent crimes include completed and attempted rapes, all sexual attacks, all 

completed and attempted robberies, all aggravated assaults, all verbal threats and threats 

with weapons, sexual assault without injury, and unwanted sexual contact without force. 

Violent crimes include the serious violent crimes listed above, simple assault with injury, 

assault without a weapon and without injury, and verbal threat of assault. Theft includes 

attempted and completed purse snatching, completed pickpocketing, and all attempted and 

completed thefts, excluding motor vehicle theft. Theft does not include robbery, in which the 

threat or use of force is involved. “Any” crimes include one or more reports of any of 

the crimes listed above. Each of these variables measures the prevalence of victimization. 

See questions 36a through 45b in the selected items from the NCVS-1 questionnaire in 

appendix C for variables used to construct TOC.

Variables Taken From the NCVS Crime Incident Report (NCVS-2)

Location where incident occurred (SC616): This question asks students where the 

incident occurred; specifically, whether it occurred inside the school building or on school 

property (school parking area, play area, school bus, etc.). See question 10 in the selected 

items from the NCVS-2 questionnaire in appendix D.

Activity at time of incident (SC832): Students were asked what they were doing at the 

time of the incident; specifically, whether they were on their way to or from school. See 

question 135 in the selected items from the NCVS-2 questionnaire in appendix D.

Variables Taken From the SCS

Afraid of attack at school, on the way to or from school, and away from school (SC079, 

SC080, and SC081): This series of questions asked students if they were afraid someone 
A-14

would attack or threaten to attack them at school, on the way to or from school, and away 

from school. See questions 24, 25, and 26 in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E.

Alcohol availability (SC040): Students were asked if it was possible to obtain alcohol at 

school. See question 17a (item a) in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E. 

Avoiding certain areas of the school and skipping school, class, or extracurricular 

activities (SC068, SC069, SC070, SC071, SC072, SC073, SC074, SC075, SC076, SC077,

and SC078): Student reports of avoiding certain areas in schools include avoiding shortest 

route to school (SC068), avoiding entrance to school (SC069), avoiding hallways or stairs 

(SC070), avoiding school cafeteria (SC071), avoiding restrooms (SC072), avoiding other 

places in school building (SC073), avoiding parking lot (SC074), avoiding other places on

school grounds (SC075), avoiding extracurricular activities (SC076), avoiding class

(SC077), and staying home from school (SC078). See questions 23a–d in the SCS 

questionnaire in appendix E.

Bullying (SC134, SC135, SC136, SC137, SC138, SC139, and SC140): Students were asked 

if any student had bullied them during the school year. Specifically, students were asked if 

another student had made fun of them (SC134), spread rumors about them (SC135), 

threatened them with harm (SC136), pushed or shoved them (SC137), forced them to do 

something they did not want to do (SC138), excluded them from activities (SC139), or 

destroyed their property (SC140). See question 19a (items a through g) in the SCS 

questionnaire in appendix E.

Drug availability (SC041, SC042, SC043, SC097, SC098, SC045, SC046, SC047, and 

SC048): Students were asked about drug availability at their school. Drugs referenced are 

marijuana (SC041), crack (SC042), cocaine (SC043), uppers (SC097), downers (SC098), 

LSD (SC045), PCP (SC046), heroin (SC047), prescription drugs illegally obtained without 

a prescription (SC159), and other illegal drugs (SC048). See question 17a (items b through 

k) in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E. 

Electronic victimization (SC161, SC162, and SC163): Students were asked if another

student did any of the following behaviors anywhere to make them feel bad. Specifically, 

students were asked about victimization by a peer that occurred anywhere via electronic 

means, including the Internet (SC161), instant messaging (SC162), and text messaging 

(SC163). See question 20a (items a through c) in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E.

Gang presence (SC058): Students were asked whether there are street gangs present at 

their school. See question 30 in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E. 

Grade (SC008): Response options included “fifth or under,” “sixth,” “seventh,” “eighth,” 

“ninth,” “tenth,” “eleventh,” and “twelfth” grades, “other,” and “college/GED/postgraduate/ 

other noneligible.” Only respondents in grades 6 through 12 were included in the analysis. 

See question 2b in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E.

Hallway supervision by school staff (SC029): Students were asked whether there was 

hallway supervision by school staff or other adults at school to ensure student safety. See 

question 14b in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E.
A-15

Hate-related graffiti (SC066): This question asked students whether they had seen haterelated words or symbols written in school classrooms, in school bathrooms, in school 

hallways, or on the outside of their school building. See question 22 in the SCS 

questionnaire in appendix E. 

Involved in a physical fight (SC103): Students were asked whether they had been involved 

in one or more physical fights at school during the school year. See question 18a in the SCS 

questionnaire in appendix E.

Locked entrance or exit doors during day (SC031): This refers to whether school 

entrance or exit doors were locked during the day to ensure student safety. See question 14d 

in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E. 

Locker checks (SC033): This refers to whether student locker checks were performed 

to ensure student safety. See question 14f in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E. 

Metal detectors (SC030): Students were asked whether there were metal detectors present 

at school to ensure student safety. See question 14c in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E.

Presence of security officers or assigned police (SC028): This refers to whether there 

were security guards and/or assigned police officers present at school to ensure student 

safety. See question 14a in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E.

Required to wear badges or picture identification (SC094): This refers to whether 

students were required to wear badges or picture identification at school as a measure to 

ensure student safety. See question 14g in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E.

Saw another student with a gun at school (SC086): Students were asked if they had 

actually seen another student with a gun at school. See question 28b in the SCS 

questionnaire in appendix E. 

School type (SC016): This refers to the type of school for each student: “public” or 

“private.” See question 7a in the SCS questionnaire in appendix E.

Security cameras (SC095): This refers to the presence of security cameras to monitor the 

school as a measure to ensure student safety. See question 14h in the SCS questionnaire in 

appendix E. 

Student code of conduct (SC096): Students were asked if there is a set of written rules or 

guidelines that the school provides as a code of conduct for students. See question 14i in the 

SCS questionnaire in appendix E.

Visitor sign-in (SC032): This refers to whether there is a school requirement that visitors 

sign in as a measure to ensure student safety. See question 14e in the SCS questionnaire in 

appendix E.

For further information. NCES has collected and published data on school crime and 

safety in a number of publications. Readers who are interested in further information or who 
A-16

would like to download available data files, including the SCS data file used in this report, 

should contact Monica Hill at monica.hill@ed.gov or visit the Crime and Safety Surveys website 

at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crime. 
B-1

Appendix B: Standard Error Tables
B-2

Table B-1. Standard errors for Table 1: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at school during the previous 6 months, 

by type of victimization: School year 2006–07

Type of victimization Percent of students

None 0.30

Any 0.30

xxTheft 0.23

xx Personal larceny †

xxxxxOther theft 0.23

xxViolent 0.18

xxxxxSimple assault 0.17

xxxxxSerious violent 0.08

xxxxxxxRape and sexual assault 0.04

xxxxxxxRobbery 0.06

xxxxxxxAggravated assault 0.03

† Not applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National 

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007
B-3

Table B-2. Standard errors for Table 2: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at school, by type of victimization and 

selected student and school characteristics: School year 2006–07

Student and school characteristic

Total number of 

students

Type of victimization

None Any Theft Violent

xxTotal 557,000 0.30 0.30 0.23 0.18

Sex

xxMale 345,200 0.43 0.43 0.34 0.26

xxFemale 338,700 0.39 0.39 0.33 0.23

Race/ethnicity

xxWhite, not Hispanic or Latino 438,200 0.38 0.38 0.29 0.22

xxBlack, not Hispanic or Latino 245,200 0.83 0.83 0.70 0.50

xxHispanic or Latino 240,000 0.54 0.54 0.47 0.42

xxAll other races,

xxxxxnot Hispanic or Latino1 154,200 1.17 1.17 1.03 0.73

Grade

xx6th 110,600 0.87 0.87 0.77 0.54

xx7th 144,900 0.69 0.69 0.54 0.50

xx8th 165,000 0.63 0.63 0.54 0.47

xx9th 166,100 0.75 0.75 0.70 0.37

xx10th 145,700 0.67 0.67 0.63 0.39

xx11th 154,200 0.75 0.75 0.61 0.46

xx12th 150,900 0.70 0.70 0.55 0.35

Household income

xxLess than $7,500 85,200 1.44 1.44 1.22 †

xx$7,500–14,999 96,300 1.05 1.05 † 1.02

xx$15,000–24,999 120,900 1.00 1.00 0.71 0.76

xx$25,000–34,999 124,400 1.24 1.24 1.09 0.75

xx$35,000–49,999 163,500 0.92 0.92 0.71 0.63

xx$50,000 or more 343,100 0.40 0.40 0.33 0.21

Student-reported school type

xxPublic 522,300 0.32 0.32 0.25 0.20

xxPrivate 135,200 0.50 0.50 0.50 †

† Not applicable. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National 

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
B-4

Table B-3. Standard errors for Table 3: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of 

conditions of school climate and type of victimization: School year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization

Gangs present 

at school

Saw student 

with a gun

Engaged in 

physical fight

Drugs at 

school

Alcohol at 

school

Saw haterelated graffiti

xxTotal 0.80 0.20 0.38 0.85 0.61 0.89

None 0.80 0.20 0.36 0.86 0.60 0.92

Victimization

xxAny 3.33 1.36 2.95 2.84 2.97 3.58

xxxxxTheft 3.87 1.16 2.65 3.92 3.62 4.12

xxxxxViolent 5.77 3.25 5.84 4.85 4.54 5.47

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
B-5

Table B-4. Standard errors for Table 4: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of being 

bullied by traditional means at school or by electronic means anywhere and type of victimization: School 

year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization

Bullied by traditional 

means at school

Bullied by electronic 

means anywhere

xxTotal 0.74 0.28

None 0.73 0.27

Victimization

xxAny 3.15 2.15

xxxxxTheft 3.67 2.37

xxxxxViolent 4.57 3.69

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
B-6

Table B-5. Standard errors for Table 5: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of the use 

of selected security measures to secure school buildings and type of victimization: School year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization Locker checks Metal detectors Security cameras

Locked entrance or 

exit doors during the day

xxTotal 0.95 0.51 0.99 1.07

None 0.96 0.51 1.01 1.08

Victimization

xxAny 3.34 2.57 3.04 3.49

xxxxxTheft 3.94 3.06 3.41 4.12

xxxxxViolent 5.90 4.11 5.05 5.57

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National 

Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
B-7

Table B-6. Standard errors for Table 6: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of the use 

of security measures requiring the enforcement of administrative procedures and type of victimization: School 

year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization

Security guards 

or assigned 

police officers

Staff supervision 

in hallways

Students required 

to wear badges or 

picture identification

Student code of 

conduct

Visitors required 

to sign in

xxTotal 0.98 0.50 1.00 0.29 0.38

None 1.01 0.51 1.02 0.30 0.40

Victimization

xxAny 2.52 2.21 2.73 1.05 1.71

xxxxxTheft 2.97 2.80 3.70 1.26 1.86

xxxxxViolent 4.59 2.64 4.70 1.48 2.54

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
B-8

Table B-7. Standard errors for Table 7: Percentage of students ages 12 through 18 who reported no criminal 

victimization at school and those who reported criminal victimization at school, by student reports of 

personal avoidance behavior and type of victimization: School year 2006–07

Type of 

victimization

Feared attack or 

harm

Skipped 

school

Skipped 

class

Avoided 

school 

activities

Avoided a 

specific place 

at school

xxTotal 0.33 0.13 0.12 0.20 0.31

None 0.31 0.12 0.11 0.19 0.30

Victimization

xxAny 2.35 1.24 1.03 1.39 2.26

xxxxxTheft 2.33 † 1.23 1.66 2.26

xxxxxViolent 5.03 2.76 † 2.31 4.52

† Not applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2007.
C-1

Appendix C: Selected Items From the 2007 National Crime 

Victimization Survey Basic Screen Questionnaire (NCVS-1)
C-2

OMB No. 1121-0111: Approval Expires 7/31/2006

FORM

(9-16-2004)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL CRIME 

VICTIMIZATION SURVEY 

ITEMS FILLED AT START OF INTERVIEW

10a.

1. Field representative identification

201 Code Name

1 Unit in sample the previous enumeration period – Fill 3

2 Unit in sample first time this period – SKIP to 4

2. Unit status

202

1 Same household interviewed the previous enumeration

3. Household status – Mark first box that applies.

203

2 Replacement household since the previous enumeration

3

4

Noninterview the previous enumeration 

Other – Specify

4. Line number of household respondent

____________ Go to page 2

Use of telephone (cc item 26a and b)

AFTER INTERVIEW – TRANSCRIBE FROM CONTROL CARD

5. Group Quarters (GQ) type code

____________

204

1 Owned or 

being bought

6. Tenure (cc item 8a)

206 2 Rented

for cash

3 No cash

rent

1 Urban

7. Land use (cc item 9)

207 2 Rural

X Item blank

8. Farm sales (cc item 10)

208 1 $1,000 or more 2 Less than $1,000

9. Type of living quarters (cc items 11c and 11d)

Housing unit

1

2

3

4

5

House, apartment, flat

HU in nontransient hotel, motel, etc.

HU permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.

HU in rooming house

209

Mobile home or trailer with no permanent room added

7 HU not specified above – Describe

6 Mobile home or trailer with one or more permanent rooms added

OTHER unit

8 Quarters not HU in rooming or boarding house

9 Unit not permanent in transient hotel, motel, etc.

10 Unoccupied site for mobile home, trailer, or tent

Student quarters in college dormitory

OTHER unit not specified above – Describe

11

12

1 Phone in unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2 Phone in common area (hallway, etc.) . . . .

Phone in another unit (neighbor, friend, etc.)

Work/office phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

No phone – SKIP to 11a

3

4

5

10b. Is phone interview acceptable? (cc item 26d)

Fill 10b

210

211 1 Yes 2 No 3 Refused to give number

11a. Number of housing units in structure (cc item 27a)

1

2

3

1 – SKIP to 11c

2

3

213

4

5

6

4

5–9

10+

7 Mobile home/trailer –

SKIP to 11c

8 Only OTHER units

11b.

Restricted access (cc item 27c)

1 Yes 3 DK

12a. Household Income (cc item 28)

214

8

9

10

20,000 – 24,999

25,000 – 29,999

30,000 – 34,999

ITEMS FILLED DURING AND/OR AFTER INTERVIEW

13. Proxy information – Fill for all proxy interviews

a. Proxy interview obtained 

for Line No.

b. Reason

(Enter

code)

c. Reason

(Enter

code)

301 302 303

Name Line No.

304 305 306

307 308 309

310 311 312

Codes for item 13c

FILL INTER-COMM

14. Type Z noninterview

a. Interview not

obtained for

Line No.

b. Proxy respondent

313

315

317

319

314

316

318

320

Complete 17—28 for each Line No. in 14a

Codes for item 14b

FILL

INTERCOMM

15a. Household members 12 years of age and OVER

____________ Total number 321

15b. Household members UNDER 12 years of age

____________ Total number 322 0 None

15d. Crime Incident Reports filled

____________ Total number of NCVS-2s filled 323 0 None

Fill BOUNDING INFORMATION

N

C

V

S

1

2 No Item blank

6

7

1

2

3

4

5

Less than $5,000

$5,000 – 7,499

7,500 – 9,999

10,000 – 12,499

12,500 – 14,999

12c. Public Housing (cc item 8c)

1 Yes (public 

housing)

219

12d. Manager Verification of Public Housing (cc item 8d)

Unable to verify

1

2

Public housing 

Not public housing

220

3

4

CATI/Telephone

Other – Specify

NCVS-1 BASIC SCREEN QUESTIONNAIRE

12b. College/University (cc item 8b)

1 Yes 2 No

Able to verify

218

X

X Item blank

X Item blank

No (not public 

housing)

2

b. Reason (Enter code)

16. Changes in Household Composition (cc item 25a)

a. Line No.

324

326

328

330

15,000 – 17,499

17,500 – 19,999

11

12

13

14

35,000 – 39,999

40,000 – 49,999

50,000 – 74,999

75,000 and over

325

327

329

331

Only transcribe

changes discovered

during the current

enumeration

BEFORE INTERVIEW – TRANSCRIBE FROM CONTROL CARD

ACTING AS COLLECTING AGENT FOR THE

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Control number

PSU Segment/Suffix

AFTER INTERVIEW – TRANSCRIBE FROM CONTROL CARD – Cont.

3– TA and won’t return before closeout

American Indian Reservation or American Indian Lands

(cc item 8e)

221 1 Yes 2 No

12e.

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

212

6 – Office use only

3 – Physically/ 

mentally 

unable to 

answer—no 

proxy available 

4 – TA and no proxy 

available . . . .

1 – Never available

NOTICE – We are conducting this survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code, NCVS-1 Section 8. Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all information about you and your household

strictly confidential. We may use this information only for statistical purposes. Also, Title 42,

Section 3732, United States Code, authorizes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of

Justice, to collect information using this survey. Title 42, Sections 3789g and 3735, United States

Code, also requires us to keep all information about you and your household strictly confidential.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a

collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB number.

205

2 – Refused . . . .

5 – Other . . . . . .

Location of phone – Mark first box that applies.

1–12–13 years old and parent refused permission for self interview

2– Physically/mentally unable to answer

11c.

222 Gated or walled community 1 Yes 2 No X Item blank

Building with restricted access 1 Yes 2 No X Item blank

Direct outside access (cc item 27b)

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

223

Sample 

designation/Suffix

Serial/

Suffix

15c. Number of Type Z noninterview household members 

12 years of age and OVER

____________ Total number 332 0 None

HH No. Spinoff

Indicator
C-3

HOUSEHOLD RESPONDENT’S PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

17. NAME (of household respondent)

Last

First

Type of interview

Line

No.

401

1

2

3

4

Per. – Self-respondent

Tel. – Self-respondent

Per. – Proxy

Tel. – Proxy

.81 .91

Fill 13 on cover page ________

Line No.

29.

33a.

Date of interview 501

If unsure, ASK OR VERIFY –

How long have you lived at this address? 

(Enter number of months OR years.)

____________ Months (1-11) – SKIP to 33b 505

OR

____________ Years (Round to nearest whole year) – 

Fill Check Item A

506

5 years or more – SKIP to 34

Less than 5 years – Ask 33b

CHECK

ITEM A

How many years are entered in 33a?

33b. Altogether, how many times have you moved in the last 

5 years, that is, since _________________, 20 ___? ____________ Number of times 508

Page 2 FORM NCVS-1 (9-16-2004)

402

AFTER INTERVIEW – TRANSCRIBE FROM CONTROL CARD

20.

Relationship to

reference

person

21.

Age last

birthday

22a.

Marital status 

THIS survey 

period

22b.

Marital

status LAST

survey period

23.

Sex

24.

Armed

Forces

member

25.

Educational

attainment

28.

Race

27.

Hispanic

origin

403

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

Husband

Wife

Son

Daughter

Father

Mother

Brother

Sister

Other relative

Nonrelative

Ref. person

________

Age

405

1

2

3

4

5

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

Never

married

406

1

2

3

4

5

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

Never

married

Not interviewed

last

survey

period

6

407

1

2

M

F

408

1

2

Yes

No

413

1

2

Yes

No

404

____________

Highest level 

completed

409 412

1

2

White

American

Indian/Alaska

Native

Asian

Other – Specify

4

6

26.

Attending

school

411

1 College/

University

Trade

school

Vocational

school

4 None of

the

above

schools

2

3

(cc 13b) (cc 17) (cc 18) (From previous

enumeration)

(cc 19) (cc 20) (cc 21) (cc 22) (cc 23) (cc 24)

Month Day Year

Regular 

school 0

MOBILITY QUESTIONS

BUSINESS OPERATED FROM SAMPLE ADDRESS

34. Does anyone in this household operate a business from

this address?

35. Is there a sign on the premises or some

other indication to the general public that a

business is operated from this address?

PERSONAL – Fill by observation.

TELEPHONE – Ask.

1

2

Yes – Go to 35

No – SKIP to 36a

530

1

2

Yes (Recognizable business)

No (Unrecognizable business)

531

Before we get to the crime questions, I have some

questions that are helpful in studying where and why

crimes occur.

Black/African

American

Native

Hawaiian/Other

Pacific Islander

5

3

*

Mark (X) all that

apply.
C-4

HOUSEHOLD RESPONDENT’S SCREEN QUESTIONS

36a. I’m going to read some examples that will give you an

idea of the kinds of crimes this study covers.

Page 3

Was something belonging to YOU stolen, such as –

(a) Things that you carry, like luggage, a wallet,

purse, briefcase, book –

As I go through them, tell me if any of these

happened to you in the last 6 months, that is

since __________ ______, 20 ____.

(b) Clothing, jewelry, or cellphone –

(c) Bicycle or sports equipment –

(d) Things in your home – like a TV, stereo, or tools

(e) Things outside your home such as a garden

hose or lawn furniture – 

(f) Things belonging to children in the household –

(g) Things from a vehicle, such as a package,

groceries, camera, or CDs –

(h) Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal anything

belonging to you?

OR

36b. Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

MARK OR ASK –

36c. How many times?

37a. (Other than any incidents already mentioned,)

has anyone –

(a) Broken in or ATTEMPTED to break into your

home by forcing a door or window, pushing

past someone, jimmying a lock, cutting a

screen, or entering through an open door or

window?

(c) Illegally gotten in or tried to get into a hotel or

motel room or vacation home where you were

staying?

(b) Has anyone illegally gotten in or tried to get

into a garage, shed, or storage room?

OR

37b. Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

MARK OR ASK –

37c. How many times?

Briefly describe incident(s)

1

Yes – What happened? 

532

Number of times (36c)

533

No – SKIP to 38

2

Describe above

Briefly describe incident(s)

534 1

Number of times (37c)

535

2

FORM NCVS-1 (9-16-2004)

Yes – What happened? 

No – SKIP to 37a

Describe above
C-5

HOUSEHOLD RESPONDENT’S SCREEN QUESTIONS

39a.

38. What was the TOTAL number of cars, vans, trucks,

motorcycles, or other motor vehicles owned by you or

any other member of this household during the last 

6 months? Include those you no longer own.

During the last 6 months, (other than any incidents

already mentioned,) (was the vehicle/were any of

the vehicles) –

Page 4

(a) Stolen or used without permission?

(Other than any incidents already mentioned,)

since __________ ______, 20 ____, were you attacked

or threatened OR did you have something stolen

from you –

(b) Did anyone steal any parts such as a tire, car

stereo, hubcap, or battery?

(c) Did anyone steal any gas from (it/them)?

(d) Did anyone ATTEMPT to steal any vehicle or parts

attached to (it/them)?

OR

39b. Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

MARK OR ASK –

39c. How many times?

40a.

(a) At home including the porch or yard –

(c) At work or school –

(b) At or near a friend’s, relative’s, or

neighbor’s home –

OR

40b. Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

MARK OR ASK –

40c. How many times?

0

1

2

3

4

None – SKIP to 40a

1

2

3

4 or more

536

Briefly describe incident(s)

537 1 Yes – What happened?

Number of times (39c)

538

2 No – SKIP to 40a

Describe above

539 1 Yes – What happened? 

Number of times (40c)

540

2 No – SKIP to 41a

Describe above

(d) In places such as a storage shed or laundry

room, a shopping mall, restaurant, bank, or

airport –

(e) While riding in any vehicle –

(f) On the street or in a parking lot –

(g) At such places as a party, theater, gym,

picnic area, bowling lanes, or while fishing

or hunting –

Briefly describe incident(s)

(h) Did anyone ATTEMPT to attack or ATTEMPT

to steal anything belonging to you from any of

these places?

FORM NCVS-1 (9-16-2004)
C-6

HOUSEHOLD RESPONDENT’S SCREEN QUESTIONS

Page 5

(Other than any incidents already mentioned,)

has anyone attacked or threatened you in any

of these ways (Exclude telephone threats) –

41a.

(a) With any weapon, for instance, a gun or

knife –

(c) By something thrown, such as a rock or

bottle –

(b) With anything like a baseball bat, frying

pan, scissors, or stick –

OR

41b. Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

MARK OR ASK –

41c. How many times?

Briefly describe incident(s)

541 1 Yes – What happened?

Number of times (41c)

542

2 No – SKIP to 42a

Describe above

(d) Include any grabbing, punching, or choking,

(e) Any rape, attempted rape or other type of

sexual attack –

(f) Any face to face threats –

(g) Any attack or threat or use of force by anyone

at all? Please mention it even if you are not

certain it was a crime.

People often don’t think of incidents committed

by someone they know. (Other than any incidents

already mentioned,) did you have something

stolen from you OR were you attacked or

threatened by (Exclude telephone threats) –

42a.

(a) Someone at work or school –

(c) A relative or family member –

(b) A neighbor or friend –

42b. Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

MARK OR ASK –

42c. How many times?

Briefly describe incident(s)

543 1 Yes – What happened?

Number of times (42c)

544

2 No – SKIP to 43a

Describe above

(d) Any other person you’ve met or known?

Incidents involving forced or unwanted sexual

acts are often difficult to talk about. (Other than

any incidents already mentioned,) have you been

forced or coerced to engage in unwanted sexual

activity by –

43a.

(a) Someone you didn’t know before –

(c) Someone you know well?

(b) A casual acquaintance –

43b. Did any incidents of this type happen to you?

MARK OR ASK –

43c. How many times?

Briefly describe incident(s)

545 1 Yes – What happened?

Number of times (43c)

546

2 No – SKIP to 44a

Describe above

OR

FORM NCVS-1 (9-16-2004)
C-7

HOUSEHOLD RESPONDENT’S SCREEN QUESTIONS

During the last 6 months, (other than any

incidents already mentioned,) did you call the

police to report something that happened to YOU

which you thought was a crime?

44a. Briefly describe incident(s)

547 1 Yes – What happened?

2 No – SKIP to 45a

Describe above

44b. How many times?

548

*

OFFICE USE ONLY

CHECK

ITEM B Look at 44a. If unsure, ASK, otherwise, mark without

asking. Were you (was the respondent) attacked or

threatened, or was something stolen or an

attempt made to steal something that

belonged to you (the respondent) or another

household member?

1

2

Yes – Ask 44b 

No – SKIP to 45a

549

Number of times (44b)

550

During the last 6 months, (other than any

incidents already mentioned,) did anything which

you thought was a crime happen to YOU, but you

did NOT report to the police?

45a. Briefly describe incident(s)

551 1 Yes – What happened?

No – SKIP to INTRO 1 at top of

page 7

2

Describe above

45b. How many times?

552

*

OFFICE USE ONLY

CHECK

ITEM C Look at 45a. If unsure, ASK, otherwise, mark without

asking. Were you (was the respondent) attacked or

threatened, or was something stolen or an

attempt made to steal something that

belonged to you (the respondent) or another

household member?

1

2

553 Yes – Ask 45b 

554

Number of times (45b)

No – SKIP to INTRO 1 at top of

page 7
This page is intentionally left blank.
D-1

Appendix D: Selected Items From the 2007 National Crime 

Victimization Survey Crime Incident Report (NCVS-2)
D-2
D-3
This page is intentionally left blank.
E-1

Appendix E: 2007 School Crime Supplement to the National 

Crime Victimization Survey Instrument 
E-2

NOTICE - We are conducting this survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code, Section 8. Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all information

about you and your household strictly confidential. We may use this information only for statistical purposes. Also, Title 42, Section 3732, United States Code,

authorizes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice, to collect information using this survey. Title 42, Sections 3789g and 3735, United States Code

also requires us to keep all information about you and your household strictly confidential.

ASK OF ALL PEOPLE AGES 12-18 FORM SCS-1 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Econom ics and Statistics Adm inistration

U.S. Census Bureau

ACTING AS COLLECTING AGENCY FOR THE

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

SCHOOL CRIME SUPPLEMENT

 TO THE NATIONAL CRIME

 VICTIMIZATION SURVEY

2007

We estimate that it will take from 5 to 15 minutes to complete this interview with 10 minutes

being the average time. If you have any comments regarding these estimates or any other

aspect of this survey, send them to the Associate Director for Finance and Administration,

Room 2027, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington DC 20233, or to the Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503. According to

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no such persons are required to respond to a collection

of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number.

Con trol nu m ber

PSU Segment/Suffix Sample Designation/Suffix Serial/Suffx HH No. Spinoff

Indicatior

A. FR Code

001 

B. Respondent

Line No. Age Name

002 003 

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - Complete an SCS-1 form for all

NCVS interviewed people ages 12-18. Do NOT complete an 

SCS-1 form for Type Z noninterview people or for people in 

Type A noninterview households.

C. Type of SCS Interview

004 1 Personal - Self }

2 Telephone - Self } SKIP to INTRO 1

3 Personal - Proxy }

4 Telephone - Proxy }

5 Noninterview - FILL ITEM D

D. Reason for SCS noninterview

005 2 Refused

3 Not available

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - Read introduction.

INTRO 1 - Now I hav e som e addi tion al qu est ion s abou t you r schoo l. These answ ers w ill be kept confi den tial, by law .

E. SCREEN QUESTIONS FOR SUPPLEMENT

1a. Did yo u atte nd school at any ti m e th is school year?

1b. Dur ing that tim e, w ere you ever ho m e-schoo led?

That is, di d y ou receive A NY of that schoo ling at

hom e, rath er th an in a public or p riv ate school?

___________________________________________

1c. Was all of your schooling this school year home

schoo ling?

006 1 Yes

2 No - SKIP to CHECK ITEM D on page 8

_______________________________________________

092 1 Yes 

2 No - SKIP to 2b

____________________________________________

007 1 Yes - SKIP to CHECK ITEM D on page 8 

2 No

2a. Dur ing the tim e you w ere ho m e-schoo led t his schoo l

year, w hat g rade w ould yo u have been in if yo u w ere

in a public or p riv ate school?

093 0 Fifth or under - SKIP to CHECK ITEM D 

 on page 8

1 Sixth }

2 Seventh }

3 Eighth }

4 Nineth }SKIP to 

5 Tenth }INTRO 2

6 Eleventh }

7 Twelfth }

8 Other - Specify ______________ }

9 College/GED/Post-graduate/

Other noneligible - SKIP to CHECK ITEM D 

 on page 8

2b. What gr ade are you in? 008 0 Fifth or under - SKIP to CHECK ITEM D 

 on page 8

1 Sixth }

2 Seventh }

3 Eighth }

4 Nineth }SKIP

5 Tenth } to 3

6 Eleventh }

7 Twelfth }

8 Other - Specify ______________ }

9 College/GED/Post-graduate/

Other noneligible - SKIP to CHECK ITEM D 

 on page 8
E-3

Page 2 FORM SCS-1 (10-27-2006)

E. SCREEN QUESTIONS FOR SUPPLEMENT - Continued

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - Read introduction only if any of the boxes 1-8 are marked in item 2a.

INTRO 2 - The following questions pertain only to your attendance at a public or private school and not to being 

home-schooled. 

3. In what month did your current school year begin? 009 1  August

2  September

3  Other - Specify 

___________________________

F. ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS

6a. What is the complete name of your school?

 

____________________________________________

6b. In what city, county, and state is your school

located?

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - Probe if necessary.

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

012  Office Use Only

______________________________________________

013 ___________________________________ City

 ____________________________________ County

014  Office Use Only 

 ____________________________________ State

015  Office Use Only 

7a. Is your school public or private?

____________________________________________

7b. Is this the regular school that most of the students in

your neighborhood attend?

___________________________________________

7c. Is your school church-related?

016 1  Public - ASK 7b

2  Private - SKIP to 7c 

______________________________________________

017 1  Yes } SKIP to

2  No } 8

_______________________________________________

018 1  Yes 

2  No 

3  Don't know 

8. What grades are taught in your school?

Pre-K or Kindergarten 00

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12 H.S. Senior

13 Post-graduate

20 All ungraded

30 All Special Education

Grades:

020  (lowest)

TO

021  (highest)

9. How do you get to school most of the time?

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - If multiple modes are used,

code the mode in which the student spends the most

time.

022 1  W alk

2  School bus

3  Public bus, subway, train

4  Car

5  Bicycle, motorbike, or motorcycle

6  Some other way - Specify

10. How long does it take you to get from your home to

school most of the time?

023 1  Less than 15 minutes

2  15-29 minutes

3  30-44 minutes

4  45-59 minutes

5  60 minutes or longer
E-4

FORM SCS-1 (10/27/2006) Page 3

11. How do you get home from school most of the time?

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - If multiple modes are used,

code the mode in which the student spends the most

time.

If the student volunteers that he or she does not go

directly home after school, record the mode that the

student uses to get to his or her first destination after

school.

024 1  W alk

2  School bus

3  Public bus, subway, train

4  Car

5  Bicycle, motorbike, or motorcycle

6  Some other way - Specify

 _____________________________

12a. How often do you leave school grounds at lunch

time?

(READ CATEGORIES.)

___________________________________________

12b. Are students in your grade level allowed to leave

school grounds to eat lunch?

026 1  Never

2  Once or twice a year

3  Once or twice a month

4  Once or twice a week

5  Almost every day

___________________________________________

025 1  Yes

2  No

3  Don't know

13. During this school year, have you participated in any of

the following activities sponsored by your school:

a. Athletic teams at school ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

b. Spirit groups, for example, Cheerleading, Dance

Team, or Pep Club?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

c. Performing arts, for example, Band, Choir,

Orchestra, or Drama ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

d. Academic clubs, for example, Debate Team, Honor

Society, Spanish Club, or Math Club ? . . . . . . . . . . .

e. Student government?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

f. [IF GRADES 6, 7, or 8] Community service or 

 volunteer clubs, for example, Peer Mediators, 

 Ecology Club, or Recycling Club? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 [IF GRADES 9, 10, 11, or 12] Community service or 

 volunteer clubs, for example, Peer Mediators, 

Ecology Club, Key Club, or Interact? . . . . . . . . . . . .

g. Other school clubs or school activities,?. . . . . . . .

Yes No

120 1  2 

121 1  2 

122 1  2 

123 1  2 

124 1  2 

125 1  2 

126 1 2 

14. Does your school take any measures to make sure 

students are safe?

For example, does the school have:

a. Security guards or assigned police officers?. .

b. Other school staff or other adults supervising

the hallway? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

c. Metal detectors? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

d. Locked entrance or exit doors during the day?

e. A requirement that visitors sign in? . . . . . . . . .

f. Locker checks? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

g. A requirement that students wear badges or

picture identification?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

h. One or more security cameras to monitor the

school? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

i. A code of student conduct, that is, a set of

written rules or guidelines that the school

provides you?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yes No Don't know

028 1  2  3  

029 1  2  3  

030 1  2  3  

031 1  2  3  

032 1  2  3  

033 1  2  3  

094 1  2  3  

095 1  2  3  

096 1  2  3  
E-5

Page 4 FORM SCS-1 (10-27-2006)

15a. In your classes, how often are you distracted from

doing your schoolwork because other students are

misbehaving, for example, talking or fighting?

(READ CATEGORIES.)

___________________________________________

15b. How often do teachers punish students during your

classes?

(READ CATEGORIES.)

156 1  Never

2  Almost never

3  Sometimes

4  Most of the time

__________________________

157 1  Never

2  Almost never

3  Sometimes

4  Most of the time

16a. I am going to read a list of statements that could

describe a school. Thinking about your school,

would you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or

strongly disagree with the following ....

a. Everyone knows what the school rules are. . .

b. The school rules are fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

c. The punishment for breaking school rules is the

same no matter who you are . . . . . . . . . . .

d. The school rules are strictly enforced . . . . . . .

e. If a school rule is broken, students know what

kind of punishment will follow . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Strongly Strongly 

Agree Agree Disagree Disagree

034 1  2  3  4 

035 1  2  3  4 

036 1  2  3  4 

037 1  2  3  4 

038 1  2  3  4 

16b. Thinking about the TEACHERS at your school, would

you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly

disagree with the following .....

a. Teachers treat students with respect. . . . . . . . 

b. Teachers care about students . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

c. Teachers do or say things that make students

feel bad about themselves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Strongly Strongly 

Agree Agree Disagree Disagree

127 1  2  3  4 

128 1  2  3  4 

129 1  2  3  4 

16c. Thinking about all of the ADULTS at your school,

would you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or

strongly disagree with the following ....

a. At school, there is an ADULT I can talk to, who

cares about my feelings and what happens to

me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

b. At school, there is an ADULT who helps me with

practical problems, who gives good suggestions

and advice about my problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Strongly Strongly 

Agree Agree Disagree Disagree

130 1  2  3  4 

131 1  2  3  4 

16d. Thinking about FRIENDS at your school, would you 

strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree

with the following ....

a. At school, I have a FRIEND I can talk to, who

cares about my feelings and what happens to

me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

b. At school, I have a FRIEND who helps me with

practical problems, who gives good suggestions

and advice about my problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Strongly Strongly 

Agree Agree Disagree Disagree

132 1  2  3  4 

133 1  2  3  4 

 
E-6

FORM SCS-1 (10/27/2006) Page 5

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - Read introduction.

INTRO 3 - Now I have some questions about things that happen at school. For this survey, "at school" includes the

school building, on school property, on a school bus, or going to and from school. Your answers will not

be given to anyone.

17a. The following question refers to the availability of

drugs and alcohol at your school.

Tell me if you don't know what any of these items

are. FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - For “Don’t Know”

responses, probe if necessary to determine if respondent

means they do not know if the drug is available or if they

do not know the drug.

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - For each item ask, 

Is it possible to get _________________________

at your school?

a. Alcoholic beverages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

b. Marijuana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

c. Crack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

d. Other forms of cocaine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

e. Uppers such as ecstasy, crystal meth or other

illegal stimulants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

f. Downers such as GHB or sleeping pills. . . . . . .

g. LSD or acid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

h. PCP or angel dust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

i. Heroin or smack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

j. Prescription drugs illegally obtained without a

prescription, such as Ritalin or Oxycontin . . . . 

k. Other illegal drugs -. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If "Yes" is marked, ASK - What drugs?

(Exclude tobacco products.)

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - Refer to Drug Slang Card

(SCS-2). Reclassify the "other illegal drug(s)" to one of

the categories a-i if possible. If able to reclassify the

drug(s) mentioned, mark the "No" box in category j,

otherwise, mark the "Yes" box in category j and enter the

"other illegal drug(s)" mentioned in the Specify space.

Don’t Yes No Don't know know drug

040 1  2  3  4 

041 1  2  3  4 

042 1  2  3  4  043 1  2  3  4 

097 1  2  3  4 

098 1  2  3  4  045 1  2  3  4 

046 1  2  3  4 

047 1  2  3  4 

159 1  2  3  4 

048 1  2  3  4 

 

Specify _________________________________

17b. During this school year, did you know for sure that

any students were on drugs or alcohol while they

were at school?

101 1  Yes

2  No

17c. During this school year, did anyone offer, or try to

sell or give you an illegal drug other than alcohol or

tobacco at your school?

102 1  Yes

2  No

G. FIGHTING, BULLYING AND HATE BEHAVIORS 

18a. During this school year, have you been in one or

more physical fights at school? 

103 1  Yes

2  No - SKIP to 19a

18b. During this school year, how many times have you

been in a physical fight at school? 104  (Number of times)

19a. Now I have some questions about what students do

at school that make you feel bad or are hurtful to

you. We often refer to this as being bullied. You

may include events you told me about already. 

During this school year, has any student bullied you? 

That is, has another student... 

(Read each category a-g.)

a. Made fun of you, called you

names, or insulted you?

b. Spread rumors about you?

c. Threatened you with harm?

d. Pushed you, shoved you, tripped you, or spit on

you?

e. Tried to make you do things you did not want to

do, for example, give them money or other

things?

f. Excluded you from activities on purpose?

g. Destroyed your property on purpose? 

Yes No

134 1  2 

135 1  2 

136 1  2 

137 1  2 

138 1  2 

139 1  2 

140 1  2 

Check Item 19a Are all categories a-g marked “No” in

Q19a above?

1  Yes - SKIP to 20a

2  No - SKIP to 19b

➷
E-7

Page 6 FORM SCS-1 (10-27-2006)

19b. During this school year, how often did (this/these

things) happen to you?

(Read categories 1-4.)

142 1  Once or twice this school year

2  Once or twice a month

3  Once or twice a week, or

4  Almost every day

5  Don’t know

19c. Did (this event/these events) occur (Read categories.) 

Mark (X) all that apply.

143 1  In the school building (for

example in a classroom, hallway, or

gymnasium)?

144 2  Outside on school grounds?

145 3  On a school bus?

146 4  Somewhere else? - Specify

 _______________________

19d. Was a teacher or some other adult at school notified

about (this event/any of these events)?

147 1  Yes

2  No

CHECK Is Box 4 in Question 19a marked?

Item B

160 1  Yes - Ask 19e

2  No - Skip to 20a

19e. What were the injuries you suffered as a result of

being pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on?

Mark (X) all that apply.

148 1  None

149 2  Bruises or swelling

150 3  Cuts, scratches, or scrapes

151 4  Black eye/bloody nose

152 5  Teeth chipped or knocked out

153 6  Broken bones/internal injuries

154 7  Knocked unconscious

155 8  Other - Specify

_______________________

20a. Now I have some questions about what students do

that could occur anywhere and that make you feel

bad or are hurtful to you. You may include events

you told me about already. 

During this school year, has another student....

(Read each category a-c.)

a. Posted hurtful information about you on the

Internet?

b. Made unwanted contact, for example, threatened

or insulted you via instant messaging?

c. Made unwanted contact, for example, threatened

or insulted you via text (SMS) messaging?

Yes No

161 1  2 

162 1  2 

163 1  2 

Check Item 20a Are all categories a-c marked “No” in

Q20a above?

1  Yes - SKIP to 21a

2  No - SKIP to 20b

20b. During this school year, how often did (this/these

things) happen to you?

(Read categories 1-4.)

165 1  Once or twice this school year

2  Once or twice a month

3  Once or twice a week, or

4  Almost every day

5  Don’t know

20c. Was a teacher or some other adult at school notified

about (this event/any of these events)?

166 1  Yes

2  No

21a. During this school year, has anyone called you an

insulting or bad name at school having to do with

your race, religion, ethnic background or national

origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation? We

call these hate-related words.

065 1  Yes

2  No - SKIP to 22

21b. Were any of the hate-related words related to ...

a. Your race? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

b. Your religion? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

c. Your ethnic background or national origin (for

example, people of Hispanic origin)? . . . . . . . . .

d. Any disability (by this I mean physical, mental, or

developmental disabilities) you may have? . 

e. Your gender?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 f. Your sexual orientation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

If "Yes," SAY - (by this we mean homosexual,

bisexual, or heterosexual)

Yes No Don't know

107 1  2  3  

108 1  2  3  

109 1  2  3  

110 1  2  3  

111 1  2  3  

112 1  2  3  
E-8

FORM SCS-1 (10/27/2006) Page 7

22. During this school year, have you seen any

hate-related words or symbols written in school

classrooms, school bathrooms, school hallways, or

on the outside of your school building?

066 1  Yes

2  No

H. AVOIDANCE

23a. During this school year, did you STAY AWAY from

any of the following places because you thought

someone might attack or harm you there?

(READ CATEGORIES.)

a. The shortest route to school?. . . . . . . . . . 

b. The entrance into the school? . . . . . . . . . 

c. Any hallways or stairs in school? . . . . . .

d. Parts of the school cafeteria?. . . . . . . . . . 

e. Any school restrooms?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

f. Other places inside the school building?

g. School parking lot? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

h. Other places on school grounds? . . . . . .

Yes No

068 1  2 

069 1  2 

070 1  2 

071 1  2 

072 1  2 

073 1  2 

074 1  2 

167 1  2 

075 1  2 

23b. Did you AVOID any activities at your school because

you thought someone might attack or harm you?

076 1  Yes

2  No

23c. Did you AVOID any classes because you thought

someone might attack or harm you?

077 1  Yes

2  No

23d. Did you stay home from school because you thought

someone might attack or harm you in the school

building, on school property, on a school bus, or

going to or from school?

078 1  Yes

2  No

I. FEAR

24. How often are you afraid that someone will attack or

harm you in the school building or on school

property?

(READ CATEGORIES.)

079 1  Never

2  Almost never

3  Sometimes

4  Most of the time

25. How often are you afraid that someone will attack or

harm you on a school bus or on the way to and from

school?

(READ CATEGORIES.)

080 1  Never

2  Almost never

3  Sometimes

4  Most of the time

26. Besides the times you are in the school building, on

school property, on a school bus, or going to or from

school, how often are you afraid that someone will

attack or harm you?

(READ CATEGORIES.)

081 1  Never

2  Almost never

3  Sometimes

4  Most of the time

J. WEAPONS

27. Some people bring guns, knives, or objects that 

can be used as weapons to school for protection. 

During this school year, did YOU ever bring the

following to school or onto school grounds? 

(READ CATEGORIES.)

a. A gun?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

b. A knife brought as a weapon?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

c. Some other weapon?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yes No

082 1  2 

083 1  2 

084 1  2 
E-9

Page 8 FORM SCS-1 (10-27-2006)

28a. Do you know any (other) students who have brought a

gun to your school during this school year?

085 1  Yes

2  No

28b. Have you actually seen another student with a gun at

school during this school year?

086 1  Yes

2  No

3  Don't know

29. During this school year, could you have gotten a 

loaded gun without adult supervision, either at school

or away from school?

113 1  Yes

2  No

K. GANGS

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE - Read introduction.

INTRO 4 - Now, we'd like to know about gangs at your school. You may know these as street gangs, fighting gangs,

crews, or something else. Gangs may use common names, signs, symbols, or colors. For this survey, we

are interested in all gangs, whether or not they are involved in violent or illegal activity.

30. Are there any gangs at your school? 058 1  Yes

2  No - SKIP to 33a

3  Don't know

31. During this school year, how often have gangs been

involved in fights, attacks, or other violence at your

school?

(READ CATEGORIES 1-5.)

089 1  Never

2  Once or twice this school year

3  Once or twice a month

4  Once or twice a week, or

5  Almost every day

6  Don't know

32. Have gangs been involved in the sale of drugs at your

school during this school year?

090 1  Yes

2  No

3 Don't know

L. STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS

33a. During the last 4 weeks, did you skip any classes? 114 1  Yes

2  No - SKIP to 34 

3  Don't know - SKIP to 34 

33b. During the last 4 weeks, on how many days did you

skip at least one class? 115  (Number of days)

34. During this school year, across all subjects have you

gotten mostly -

(READ CATEGORIES 1-5.)

116 1  A's 

2  B's 

3  C's 

4  D's 

5  F's

6  School does not give grades/no alphabetic

grade equivalent

35. Thinking about the future, do you think you will ...

a. Attend school after high school? . . . . . . . . . . 

b. Graduate from a 4-year college? . . . . . . . . . . . 

Yes No Don't know

117 1  2 - SKIP to 3 

CHECK ITEM C

118 1  2  3 

CHECK W ere the supplement questions asked in private,

ITEM C or was an adult member of the household or family

present during at least part of the questions?

If not sure or if a telephone interview, ask -

Was an adult member of the household or family

present during at least part of these questions?

091 1  Personal interview - No adult present

2  Personal interview - Adult present 

3  Telephone interview - No adult present

4  Telephone interview - Adult present

5  Telephone interview - Don't know

CHECK Is this the last household member to be

ITEM D interviewed?

119  Yes - END SUPPLEMENT

 No - Interview next household member

NOTES