Understanding School Violence

Fact Sheet 2016

School violence is youth violence that occurs on In a 2015 nationally representative sample of youth in
school property, on the way to or from school grades 9-12:2
or school-sponsored events, or during a school- • 7.8% reported being in a physical fight on school
sponsored event. A young person can be a victim, a property in the 12 months before the survey.
perpetrator, or a witness of school violence. School
• 5.6% reported that they did not go to school on
violence may also involve or impact adults.
one or more days in the 30 days before the survey
Youth violence includes various behaviors. Some because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to
violent acts—such as bullying, pushing, and or from school.
shoving—can cause more emotional harm than • 4.1% reported carrying a weapon (gun, knife or club)
physical harm. Other forms of violence, such as gang on school property on one or more days in the 30
violence and assault (with or without weapons), can days before the survey.
lead to serious injury or even death.
• 6.0% reported being threatened or injured with a
To learn more about school violence and youth violence, weapon on school property one or more times in the
please visit: www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention . 12 months before the survey.
• 20.2% reported being bullied on school property
and 15.5% reported being bullied electronically
Why is school violence a during the 12 months before the survey.
public health problem?
How does school violence
School associated violent deaths are rare.1
affect health?
• 31 homicides of school-age youth, ages 5 to 18 years,
occurred at school during the 2012-2013 school year.
Deaths resulting from school violence are only part of
• Of all youth homicides, less than 2.6% occur at school,
the problem. Many young people experience nonfatal
and this percentage has been relatively stable for the
injuries. Some of these injuries are relatively minor and
past decade.
include cuts, bruises, and broken bones. Other injuries,
In 2014, there were about 486,400 nonfatal violent like gunshot wounds and head trauma, are more serious
victimizations at school among students 12 to 18 years and can lead to permanent disability.
of age.1
Not all injuries are visible. Exposure to youth violence
Approximately 9% of teachers report that they have and school violence can lead to a wide array of negative
been threatened with injury by a student from their health behaviors and outcomes, including alcohol and
school; 5% of school teachers reported that they drug use and suicide. Depression, anxiety, and many
had been physically attacked by a student from their other psychological problems, including fear, can result
school.1 from school violence.
In 2013, 12% of students ages 12–18 reported that gangs
were present at their school during the school year.1

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Division of Violence Prevention
Understanding School Violence

Who is at risk for How does CDC approach

school violence? prevention?
A number of factors can increase the risk of a youth CDC uses a four-step approach to address public health
engaging in violence at school. However, the presence of problems like school violence:
these factors does not always mean that a young person
Step 1: Define the problem
will become an offender.
Before we can prevent school violence, we need to know
Risk factors for school and youth violence include: how big the problem is, where it is, and who it affects. CDC
• Prior history of violence learns about a problem by gathering and studying data.
• Drug, alcohol, or tobacco use These data are critical because they help us know where
• Association with delinquent peers prevention is most needed.
• Poor family functioning
Step 2: Identify risk and protective factors
• Poor grades in school It is not enough to know that school violence affects
• Poverty in the community certain students in certain areas. We also need to know
Note: This is only some information about risk. To why. CDC conducts and supports research to answer this
learn more, go to www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/ question. We can then develop programs to reduce or
youthviolence/schoolviolence/risk.html. get rid of risk factors and to increase protective factors.
Step 3: Develop and test prevention strategies
How can we prevent Using information gathered in research, CDC develops
school violence? and evaluates strategies to prevent school violence.
Step 4: Ensure widespread adoption
The goal is to stop school violence from happening in In this final step, CDC shares the best prevention strate-
the first place. Several prevention strategies have been gies. CDC may also provide funding or technical help so
identified. communities can adopt these strategies.

• Universal, school-based prevention programs can

significantly lower rates of aggression and violent What does CDC do to
behavior.3 These programs are delivered to all students prevent school violence?
in a school or grade level. They teach about various
topics and develop skills, such as emotional self-
awareness and control, positive social skills, problem The CDC leads many activities that help us to understand
solving, conflict resolution, and teamwork. and effectively prevent school violence. Some of these
activities include:
• Parent- and family-based programs can improve family
relations and lower the risk for violence by children • Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS).
especially when the programs are started early.4 These The YRBSS monitors health-risk behaviors among
programs provide parents with education about child youth, including physical fighting, bullying, weapon
development and teach skills to communicate and carrying, and suicide. Data are collected every
solve problems in nonviolent ways. two years and provide nationally representative
information about youth in grades 9-12.
• Street outreach programs can significantly reduce www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
youth violence.4 These programs connect trained
staff with at-risk youth to conduct conflict mediation,
make service referrals, and change beliefs about the
acceptability of violence.

2
Understanding School Violence

• School-Associated Violent Death Study. CDC leads a • Striving To Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere
collaboration with the Departments of Education and (STRYVE). CDC’s national STRYVE initiative provides
Justice to monitor school-associated violent deaths at information, training, and tools to help increase
the national level. public health leadership in preventing youth violence,
www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/youthviolence/ promote the widespread use of evidence-based
schoolviolence/SAVD.html prevention strategies, and reduce national rates of
youth violence.
• School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS). www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/stryve/
The SHPPS is a national survey that assesses policies
and practices at the state, district, school, and For more information about CDC’s role in preventing
classroom levels. Eight elements of school health youth violence, see www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/
are assessed, including approaches to keep a school youthviolence/index.html.
environment safe and to prevent violence.
www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/shpps
Where can I learn more?
• Health Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT). The HECAT
contains guidance, appraisal tools, and resources to
help schools conduct an analysis of health education CDC Division of Violence Prevention
curricula based on the National Health Education www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention
Standards and CDC’s Characteristics of an Effective CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health
Health Education Curriculum. The results can help www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/
schools select or develop curricula to address a STRYVE
number of topics, including violence prevention. www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/stryve/
www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/hecat/
Stop Bullying
• School Health Index (SHI). The SHI is a self- www.stopbullying.gov
assessment and planning tool that schools can use to Surgeon General’s Report on Youth Violence
improve their health and safety policies and programs. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44294/
Five topics are covered, including violence.
www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/shi/index.htm
• National Centers for Excellence on Youth Violence References
Prevention (YVPCs). Through collaborations between
researchers and local organizations (including the local
health department), the YVPCs work with high-risk 1. Zhang A, Musu-Gillette L, and Oudekerk BA. Indicators of School Crime
and Safety: 2015 (NCES 2016-079/NCJ 249758). National Center for
communities to carry out and evaluate a multifaceted, Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of
science-based approach for reducing youth violence. Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/ace/ Washington, DC; 2016.
2. Kann L, McManus T, Harris WA, et al. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
• Guide to Community Preventive Services. — United States, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Surveil Summ. 2016;65(SS-
The Community Guide is a resource for systematic 06):1-174. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/ss/
pdfs/ss6506.pdf.
reviews of research and recommendations about what
works to improve public health. Examination of youth 3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The effectiveness of universal
school-based programs for the prevention of violent and aggressive
violence prevention strategies have included firearm behavior: a report on recommendations of the Task Force on Community
laws, therapeutic foster care, universal school-based Preventive Services. MMWR 2007;56(RR-7):1-12. Available from www.cdc.
gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5607.pdf.
violence prevention programs, and transfer of juveniles
to adult courts. 4. David-Ferdon C, Simon TR. Preventing Youth Violence: Opportunities for
Action. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control,
www.thecommunityguide.org/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014. Available from http://
www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/opportunities-for-
action.html.

1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636) • www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention