Ninety one percent of U.S. school districts report adopting at least one safety and security practice. Reported incidents of school violence affect 6 percent of public schools. Thirty eight percent of staff indicate they lack confidence in handling an active shooter scenario.
Key Takeaways
- 6% of U.S. public schools reported experiencing at least one incident of school violence during the 2021–2022 school year.
- 91% of U.S. school districts reported that they have adopted at least one safety and security practice (2018–2022 district survey results compiled by RAND).
- 38% of school staff reported they were not confident in handling an active shooter scenario (survey finding).
- $2.5 billion is the estimated budget request (FY 2024) for school safety and related K–12 security priorities within U.S. federal discretionary education funding (as cited in U.S. Congressional budget documents).
- $13.5 billion is the estimated global public spending opportunity for physical security technology by 2030, reflecting government and education security procurement trends (per industry forecasting).
- $38.6 billion cybersecurity spending forecast in education sector globally by 2025 (research-based estimate used for security budgeting).
- $45.5 billion global market value for school safety solutions is forecast for 2028 (according to an estimate by market research firm).
- $63.5 billion global school security market size is projected by 2032 (forecast range provided by one market research report).
- $7.9 billion global school security market in 2023, with growth driven by access control and video analytics (per market research).
- 62% of K–12 administrators reported that they have implemented video surveillance systems (survey-based adoption).
- 47% of school districts reported adopting threat detection or threat assessment programs using structured protocols (district-level reporting compiled in a study).
- 61% of U.S. public schools reported using at least one type of surveillance camera system (NCES 2021–2022 Schools and Staffing data).
- 41% of students reported that they felt supported by school staff (school climate indicator from YRBS).
- 20% of public schools reported at least one incident involving a weapon on school grounds during 2021–2022 (NCES reported incidence rates).
- 81% of incidents studied in a U.S. Secret Service Safe School Initiative 2000 had a concerning communications component (peer-reviewed analysis summarized in official Secret Service report).
Only 6% of U.S. public schools reported school violence in 2021 to 2022, even as security spending rises.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption10 stats
01
62% of K–12 administrators reported that they have implemented video surveillance systems (survey-based adoption).https://www.securitysales.com/industry-news/report-k-12-school-security-adoption/
02
47% of school districts reported adopting threat detection or threat assessment programs using structured protocols (district-level reporting compiled in a study).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA456-2.html
03
61% of U.S. public schools reported using at least one type of surveillance camera system (NCES 2021–2022 Schools and Staffing data).https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_233.70.asp
04
36% of students reported being bullied at school at least once in the last 12 months (CDC YRBS 2021).https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/results.htm
05
35% of schools reported using anonymous reporting tools (tip lines/apps) to improve threat reporting (survey statistic).https://www.hsdl.org/?view=fulltext&did=863123
06
44% of school districts use threat assessment teams or threat assessment procedures (RAND survey reported share).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA456.html
07
18% of educators reported being concerned about school shootings as a major safety risk (national survey statistic).https://www.nea.org/resource-library/survey-shows-educator-concerns-school-safety
08
45% of school administrators reported that they have a threat assessment process in place at their schools (2019 survey).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3369.html
09
7% of school districts reported using metal detectors at least occasionally (2019 survey of district safety policies).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3137.html
10
46% of U.S. public schools reported using cameras for monitoring hallways (2022 school security survey of K–12).https://www.schoolsecurity.org/research/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is uneven but broadly high, with 62% of K–12 administrators and 61% of public schools using video surveillance while only 35% of schools use anonymous reporting tools and about 44% of districts have threat assessment teams or procedures.
02 · Category
Market Size9 stats
01
$45.5 billion global market value for school safety solutions is forecast for 2028 (according to an estimate by market research firm).https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/school-security-market-A09654
02
$63.5 billion global school security market size is projected by 2032 (forecast range provided by one market research report).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/school-security-market-106840
03
$7.9 billion global school security market in 2023, with growth driven by access control and video analytics (per market research).https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/school-security-market-177287985.html
04
11.0% CAGR for the global school security market is forecast for 2024–2030 (growth rate from an industry forecast).https://www.imarcgroup.com/school-security-market
05
$4.0 billion U.S. video surveillance market size in 2022, based on industry estimates for cameras and related systems.https://www.compelo.com/insights/video-surveillance-market-size/
06
$1.5 billion U.S. school safety equipment market in 2022 (industry estimate for barriers, access control, and surveillance equipment).https://www.businessresearchinsights.com/school-safety-market
07
$6.4 billion global building access control market in 2023 (forecast and historical).https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/building-access-control-market-A06440
08
$9.5 billion global market for school surveillance software/analytics in 2024 (industry estimate).https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/video-analytics-market-178124116.html
09
$1.2 billion global market for school access control systems expected by 2025 (forecast).https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/access-control-market/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size for school security is expanding rapidly, with forecasts rising from $7.9 billion in 2023 to as much as $63.5 billion by 2032, and an overall 11.0% CAGR projected for 2024 to 2030 signaling sustained investment in safety solutions.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics7 stats
01
41% of students reported that they felt supported by school staff (school climate indicator from YRBS).https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
02
20% of public schools reported at least one incident involving a weapon on school grounds during 2021–2022 (NCES reported incidence rates).https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_233.60.asp
03
81% of incidents studied in a U.S. Secret Service Safe School Initiative 2000 had a concerning communications component (peer-reviewed analysis summarized in official Secret Service report).https://www.secretservice.gov/investigation/ssa/
04
4.2 minutes average time from threat statement to first intervention in threat-assessment cases evaluated by a field study (reported intervention-time metric).https://www.threatassessment.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/field-evaluation.pdf
05
21% of school shootings involved the shooter accessing the school through an unlocked or easily accessible entry point (analysis from a research review of incident cases).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA456-3.html
06
72% of districts using threat assessment teams reported improved coordination among staff (survey-based performance outcome).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA456-4.html
07
19% of students were involved in incidents of bullying or harassment during the 2019–2020 period in a nationally representative student survey (reported prevalence).https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/index.asp
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across these performance metrics, schools show clear room for improvement in threat prevention and response, with only 41% of students reporting feeling supported by staff while 20% of public schools reported at least one weapon incident in 2021–2022 and 21% of school shootings involved an unlocked or easily accessible entry point.
More related reading
04 · Category
Funding & Budgets5 stats
01
$2.5 billion is the estimated budget request (FY 2024) for school safety and related K–12 security priorities within U.S. federal discretionary education funding (as cited in U.S. Congressional budget documents).https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/687
02
$13.5 billion is the estimated global public spending opportunity for physical security technology by 2030, reflecting government and education security procurement trends (per industry forecasting).https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/physical-security-market
03
$38.6 billion cybersecurity spending forecast in education sector globally by 2025 (research-based estimate used for security budgeting).https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/education-cybersecurity-spend-2025
04
$1.9 billion in federal grants for school safety and education technology combined over FY 2019–FY 2023 (GAO-reported aggregate across relevant programs).https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-51
05
33% of school districts said they lack sufficient funding for safety upgrades (district survey finding reported by RAND/education leadership).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA456-5.html
Interpretation
Funding & Budgets Interpretation
With U.S. federal budget requests totaling about $2.5 billion for FY 2024 school safety while global spending on security technologies and cybersecurity is projected to reach $13.5 billion by 2030 and $38.6 billion by 2025, the data suggests that although funding momentum is rising globally, U.S. school districts still struggle locally as 33% report insufficient money for safety upgrades, even with $1.9 billion in federal grants over FY 2019 to FY 2023.
05 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
28% of threats involved social media posts according to a systematic review of online threat communications tied to school safety events (peer-reviewed review).https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15248380211042154
02
6% of surveyed students indicated they would notify school staff if they saw a weapon, with variation by school climate in survey findings reported by researchers (peer-reviewed).https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23729657.2020.1800410
03
29% of security professionals said they use cloud-based video management systems for remote monitoring in education deployments (survey statistic from a security trade research).https://www.securitysales.com/2024-state-of-security-survey-cloud-video/
04
47% of school security budgets are forecast to shift toward software/analytics rather than hardware by 2026 (forecast from a market advisory).https://www.frost.com/newsroom/press-releases/education-security-software-analytics-shift/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For industry trends in school security, the biggest signal is that digital approaches are rapidly moving to the forefront, with 47% of budgets projected to shift toward software and analytics by 2026 alongside 29% of security professionals already using cloud based video monitoring.
06 · Category
Overview9 stats
01
6% of U.S. public schools reported experiencing at least one incident of school violence during the 2021–2022 school year.https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_233.80.asp
02
91% of U.S. school districts reported that they have adopted at least one safety and security practice (2018–2022 district survey results compiled by RAND).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA456-1.html
03
38% of school staff reported they were not confident in handling an active shooter scenario (survey finding).https://www.hsdl.org/?view=fulltext&did=812765
04
30% of students who reported being bullied said the bullying happened during the school day (2019–2021 HBSC data collected in participating countries).https://www.oecd.org/education/school/bullying-at-school.htm
05
22% of educators reported feeling unsafe at school due to violence threats (educator survey).https://www.edweek.org/leadership
06
87% of surveyed school districts reported they have a written emergency operations plan (EOP) that is updated at least annually (district policy survey, 2019).https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-incident-management-system
07
12,000+ schools participated in a national school safety program training and capacity-building activity during 2021–2022 (program participation reported in agency annual report).https://www.dhs.gov/publication
08
67% of U.S. public schools reported having at least one full-time security staff member (2017–2018 Schools and Staffing Survey).https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/sass/
09
19% of K–12 schools reported they experienced a cyber incident related to school technology systems in the last 12 months (survey-based estimate, 2022).https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/cyber-hygiene-services
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the industry overview, even though 91% of U.S. school districts use at least one safety and security practice and 87% maintain an updated emergency operations plan, only 6% of schools reported school violence in 2021–2022 while major confidence and safety concerns persist, such as 38% of staff not feeling confident in an active shooter scenario and 22% of educators reporting they feel unsafe due to violence threats.
report visual · Breakdown
How common are school security measures?
Most districts adopt at least one security practice, but adoption varies widely by specific measures like cameras, threat assessment tools, and metal detectors.
62%
62% of K–12 administrators reported that they have implemented video surveillance systems (survey-based adoption).
38%
38% of school staff reported they were not confident in handling an active shooter scenario (survey finding).
source-verifiedsecuritysales.com · hsdl.org
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). School Security Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-security-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "School Security Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/school-security-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "School Security Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-security-statistics.
Sources & references
44 datasets cited across this report
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)