School & Campus Crime

School Crime Trends

Violent victimization among students largely has mirrored 

the national decrease in violent victimization over the past 

two decades. Student-reported violent victimization at 

school has decreased 75% since 1995, from a rate of 75.6 

violent victimizations per 1,000 students to 18.9 per 1,000 

in 2014. Serious violent victimization at school has also 

decreased by 69% since 1995, from a rate of 11.5 serious 

violent victimizations per 1,000 students, to 3.6.A

In 2014, the rate of serious violent victimization away from 

school was almost 30% higher (6 per 1,000 individuals) 

than the rate of serious violent victimization at school (3.6 

per 1,000 individuals). However, the rate of serious violent 

victimization away from school has decreased 80% since 

1995, from a rate of 32.5 serious violent victimizations per 

1,000 students to 6.4.A

Did You Know?

In the previous 12 months of the Youth Risk 

Behavior survey:B

8% of students had been in a physical fight

(in or out of school).

22% of students were offered, sold, or given

illegal drugs on school property.

15% of students had been bullied electronically.

1 in 4 girls ages 12 – 18 had been bullied at 

school, vs 1 in 5 boys.

Girls were more likely than boys to not attend 

school due to safety concerns. 

2017 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide: Crime and Victimization Fact Sheets

Schools and post-secondary campuses are relatively safe places. However, victimization does occur, and the risks vary by 

context. Given the amount of time that young people spend at school, victimizations occurring there are an important 

subset of crime. Adolescents, for example, experience more violent victimizations at school but more serious violent 

victimizations outside of school.* And stalking victimization rates among women in college are higher than those in the 

general population; concerns over reporting and preventing this and other violence against women—in particular, rape 

and sexual assault—have led to a greater focus on campus crime by administrators and policy makers. Regardless of 

age, students who are victimized often have their physical and emotional well-being negatively affected, as well as their 

ability to learn. 

Male Students Threatened with a WeaponB

percentage by race

Hispanic 8.5

Black 8.4

White 5.8

10%

According to the most recent Youth Risk Behavior report, 

5% of students reported carrying a weapon onto school 

property within the previous 30 days. Boys were more likely 

than girls to carry a gun on campus, and of this group, white 

males made up 8%, Hispanic males 7%, and black males 5%. 

Of male students threatened with a weapon, nearly 6% were 

white and 9% black or Hispanic.B

Victimization at SchoolA

rate per 1,000 students ages 12 – 18

1995

0

120

96.6

75.6

14.1

18.9

1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013

120

11.5

3.6

Theft

All violent crime

Serious violent crime

Victimization away from SchoolA

rate per 1,000 students ages 12 – 18

62.8

0

120

79.1

11.2

12.9

120

32.5

6.4

Theft

All violent crime

Serious violent crime

1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013
Colleges and universities are required to keep records and report crime, particularly VAWA crimes, to the U.S. Department 

of Education as a result of the Jeanne Clery Act of 1990. As of 2014, 11,000 college campuses, representing more than 

78 million students, reported criminal victimizations in the United States. Overall, campus crime known to authorities has 

decreased 35% since 2005.C 

Campus Crime Trends

Data collected by the Clery Act does not encompass all crime 

experienced by students at colleges and universities. The FBI 

separately collects reports from campus police as well as local and 

state law enforcement agencies through its Uniform Crime Reporting 

Program (UCR). Data from 2014 include information on 76,380 

crimes from approximately 650 campuses enrolling an estimated 

8.2 million students. 

Unlike the Clery data, UCR data indicate that violent and property 

crimes known to law enforcement have remained relatively constant 

for the past 10 years, with the exception of rape: rape known to law 

enforcement has increased significantly since 2005. Over that same 

time frame, college campuses have reported a rise in forcible sexual 

offenses that is 60% greater than the rise demonstrated by UCR data. 

This increase in rape and forcible sexual offenses does not necessarily 

indicate that sexual assault has increased, but rather that a greater 

percentage of sexual assault victims are reporting incidents

to authorities.D

Violent Crimes Known to Law EnforcementD

by number of incidents

2005

1,445

1,351

0

2,000

2008 2011 2014

2,000

501

5

643

3

Aggravated assault

Robbery

Rape

Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter

761 1,169

Personal Crimes Reported under Clery ActC

by number of incidents

2005

6,942

4,601

2008 2011 2014

20,000

5,522

74

3,399

169

Aggravated assault

Robbery

5,685

17,441

Forcible sexual offenses

Non-forcible sexual offenses

Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter

064 43

20,000

2017 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide: Crime and Victimization Fact Sheets | page 2 of 3

Did You Know?

96% of hate crimes committed 

on campus are perpetrated against 

an individual as a result of their 

race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual 

orientation.C

In 2014, 9 in 10 colleges reported 

0 rapes for the entire year.C

Approximately 1 in 3 students are 

victims of dating or domestic violence 

or stalking.C
NOTE/SOURCES

* Violent victimization encompasses rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Serious violent victimization excludes 

simple assault.

A Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1995 – 

2014, (U.S. Department of Justice)

B Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 2013,” MMWR Vol. 63, 4(2014): http://www.cdc.

gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss6304.pdf

C The Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool, calculated from 

2014 data files, (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2016), 

http://ope.ed.gov/security/Index.aspx

D FBI, Crime in the United States, 1995 - 2015, (U.S. Department of Justice) 

E MR Nobles et al.,“Community and Campus Crime: A Geospatial Examination of the Clery Act,” Vol. 59, 8(2010): http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/

pdf/10.1177/0011128710372188

In 2014, property crimes accounted for more than 50% of 

all campus crimes reported under the Clery Act. Burglary 

constituted 42% of crime, motor vehicle theft made up 9%, 

and arson 2%. Sexual offenses made up 32%.

C 

Current Data on Campus Crime

All Campus Crimes Reported under Clery ActC

by number of incidents

Burglary

Robbery

1,024

17,441

4,601

43

22,826

5,059

3,399

25,000

169

Forcible sexual 

offense

Motor vehicle 

theft

Aggravated 

assault

Murder/

Negligent 

manslaughter

Arson

Non-forcible 

sexual offense

Location of Crime Reported to CampusC

On campus, 

non-residential (55.8%)

Residence hall (27.7%)

Public property (9.9%)

Off campus (6.6%)

Campus - Reported Crime: Location

Campus Campus Public Property Non - Campus

54,562

victimizations

In 2014, students reported under the Clery Act that 

56% of crimes occurred on campus, with an 

additional 28% occuring in residence halls.

C 

Campus property crime figures vary widely depending on 

the source. These disparities may be attributed to a variety 

of differences between the Clery Act and Uniform Crime 

Reports, including data collection methods, definitions, and 

evaluation methods.C,D

Researchers estimate that more than half of campus crime 

occurs less than 500 feet off campus, yet due to reporting 

requirements these crimes are not reflected in official Clery 

statistics.E

Campus Property CrimesC,D

by number of incidents and reporting entity

6,492

1,658

Burglary

22,826

25,000

5,059

Arson

1,024 Motor vehicle 

theft

Reported under Clery Act

Reported under Uniform Crime Reports

253