School Race examines how bullying and broader school safety concerns vary across U.S. schools, classrooms, and student groups. It connects school climate evidence with access and inclusion—such as disability status, economic hardship, counseling and mental health staffing, and digital connectivity. As you move through the page, you’ll see how policy adoption, school budgets, staffing levels, and technology use can shape students’ day-to-day experiences, including online risks.
Key Takeaways
- 20.2% of students reported being bullied at school during the past 12 months (2019), per YRBS
- 27.2% of public schools reported at least one incident of bullying in 2019-20, per NCES School Crime Supplement
- 23% of teachers report students do not have access to the internet at home (2017), per the RAND American Teacher Panel
- 17% of principals reported that their school had a shortage of mental health staff (2021), per a RAND survey
- 1,000 students per 1 school counselor is not met in many U.S. districts; the average counselor-to-student ratio is 1 counselor per 471 students (2019), per Education Trust
- 93% of cloud security breaches were attributed to misconfigurations or leaked credentials (2023), per Verizon’s DBIR
- 3.5% of children were homeschooled in the U.S. in 2020, per NHES (U.S. Department of Education / NCES)
- 1.5% year-over-year enrollment decline in fall 2022 vs. fall 2021 (U.S. public schools), per NCES
- 26.0% of public school students were identified as students with disabilities (2019-20), per NCES
- $752 billion estimated U.S. K-12 education spending in 2022 (public + private, including state/local), per National Education Association (NEA) / education spending estimates
- $14,458 average per-pupil expenditure for U.S. elementary and secondary schools in 2020-21 (current dollars), per NCES
- $17,698 average per-pupil expenditure for students with disabilities (2019-20), per NCES (analysis of spending patterns)
- 27% of students in grades 6–12 reported experiencing bullying at school during the past 12 months (2019)
- 54% of teachers reported at least one student in their class was bullied in the 2021–22 school year
- $14.2 billion was spent on K–12 education software in the U.S. in 2023
Nearly a quarter of students report bullying, while counselor and mental health staffing gaps persist.
Related reading
01 · Category
Implementation & Staffing5 stats
01
2.2% of public schools reported a serious incident of bullying in the 2019–20 school yearhttps://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ssocs/
02
1.0% of public school administrators reported that their school had a security shortage in 2021 (U.S.)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7890000/
03
62% of principals reported that mental health supports were not sufficient to meet student needs in 2021https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1101-1.html
04
3,800 school nurses served public schools in 2021 (U.S.) per 100,000 studentshttps://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
05
1.4 million school-age children were in foster care in the U.S. during the 2019–20 school yearhttps://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/child-welfare-data
Interpretation
Implementation & Staffing Interpretation
Across Implementation and Staffing, the picture is that key supports are often in short supply, with only 2.2% of public schools reporting serious bullying incidents while 62% of principals say mental health supports are not sufficient and only 3,800 school nurses per 100,000 students are available to serve learners.
02 · Category
Enrollment & Demographics4 stats
01
3.5% of children were homeschooled in the U.S. in 2020, per NHES (U.S. Department of Education / NCES)https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_104.20.asp
02
1.5% year-over-year enrollment decline in fall 2022 vs. fall 2021 (U.S. public schools), per NCEShttps://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372
03
26.0% of public school students were identified as students with disabilities (2019-20), per NCEShttps://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d21/tables/dt21_204.10.asp
04
48.3% of public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2021-22, per NCEShttps://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_221.20.asp
Interpretation
Enrollment & Demographics Interpretation
Within Enrollment and Demographics, public schools are seeing a 1.5% year over year enrollment decline in fall 2022 while serving large shares of students, including 26.0% identified as having disabilities and 48.3% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2021 to 2022.
03 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
$14.2 billion was spent on K–12 education software in the U.S. in 2023https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4027962
02
$5.7 billion was the U.S. school transportation market size in 2023https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/02/15/2822697/0/en/School-Transportation-Market-Size-to-Reach-5-7-Billion-By-2030.html
03
12.7 million students used online learning platforms at least once in 2023 (U.S.)https://www.classcentral.com/report/us-online-learning-2023
04
19% of U.S. districts reported using AI tools in at least one classroom in 2024https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=2529
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market for K–12 education is expanding rapidly as spending and adoption signals grow, with $14.2 billion spent on education software in 2023 and 12.7 million students using online learning platforms, while 19% of U.S. districts reported using AI tools in at least one classroom in 2024.
More related reading
04 · Category
Resource & Equity3 stats
01
23% of teachers report students do not have access to the internet at home (2017), per the RAND American Teacher Panelhttps://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2663.html
02
17% of principals reported that their school had a shortage of mental health staff (2021), per a RAND surveyhttps://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1679-1.html
03
1,000 students per 1 school counselor is not met in many U.S. districts; the average counselor-to-student ratio is 1 counselor per 471 students (2019), per Education Trusthttps://educationtrust.org/resource/school-counselors-and-student-outcomes/
Interpretation
Resource & Equity Interpretation
From 2017 to 2021, resource gaps tied to equity remain persistent with 23% of teachers reporting students lack home internet, 17% of principals citing mental health staff shortages, and many districts still falling short of the ideal 1 counselor per 1,000 students as the average counselor-to-student ratio is only 1 per 471.
05 · Category
Cost & Funding3 stats
01
$752 billion estimated U.S. K-12 education spending in 2022 (public + private, including state/local), per National Education Association (NEA) / education spending estimateshttps://www.nea.org/resource-library/how-much-does-us-spend-education-k-12
02
$14,458average per-pupil expenditure for U.S. elementary and secondary schools in 2020-21 (current dollars), per NCEShttps://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_236.10.asp
03
$17,698average per-pupil expenditure for students with disabilities (2019-20), per NCES (analysis of spending patterns)https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_214.10.asp
Interpretation
Cost & Funding Interpretation
With U.S. K 12 education spending totaling an estimated $752 billion in 2022 and averaging $14,458 per pupil in 2020 to 21, the cost pressure becomes even more pronounced because students with disabilities average $17,698 per pupil in 2019 to 20, underscoring how funding needs in the Cost and Funding category rise substantially for higher-support groups.
06 · Category
Overview8 stats
01
U.S. public school enrollment was 49.1 million students in fall 2022https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_208.10.asp
02
U.S. public school spending per student was $14,458in 2020–21 (current dollars)https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_236.70.asp
03
48 states and D.C. reported adopting statewide anti-bullying policies by 2023https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/laws/
04
20.2% of students reported being bullied at school during the past 12 months (2019), per YRBShttps://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/ss/ss6901a1.htm
05
27.2% of public schools reported at least one incident of bullying in 2019-20, per NCES School Crime Supplementhttps://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d21/tables/dt21_228.40.asp
06
27% of students in grades 6–12 reported experiencing bullying at school during the past 12 months (2019)https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
07
54% of teachers reported at least one student in their class was bullied in the 2021–22 school yearhttps://www.chronicle.com/article/teacher-survey-students-mental-health
08
93% of cloud security breaches were attributed to misconfigurations or leaked credentials (2023), per Verizon’s DBIRhttps://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
In the Industry Overview for School Race, bullying remains a significant and widespread issue as 27.2% of students in grades 6 to 12 reported being bullied at school in the past 12 months in 2019, alongside 27% of public schools reporting at least one bullying incident in 2019 to 20.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). School Race Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-race-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "School Race Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/school-race-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "School Race Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-race-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)