A new report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli shows that while serious violent and disruptive incidents in New York schools remain low, bullying and drug-related incidents have increased statewide, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The report analyzed seven years of data from the New York State Education Department’s School Safety and Educational Climate (SSEC) report.
“Reliable public data about school safety is critical,” DiNapoli said. “It’s disturbing to see the rise in bullying and drug-related incidents. We need to do everything we can to make sure students and teachers feel safe.”
Bullying and Cyberbullying
Bullying continues to be the most common type of reported school incident. In the 2023-24 school year, there were nearly 30,000 bullying incidents, averaging 12.4 per 1,000 students. Schools reporting at least one incident saw a higher rate of 18.2 per 1,000 students, up from 10.2 in 2017-18.
New York City saw a sharp rise in reported bullying after students returned to in-person learning, going from 10.5 per 1,000 students in 2019-20 to 25.8 in 2023-24. Upstate schools have consistently had higher rates than downstate, though both regions saw increases after full in-person instruction resumed.
Cyberbullying remains relatively rare, with 4,396 incidents statewide in 2023-24, or 1.8 per 1,000 students. Rates were higher in upstate schools before the pandemic, but New York City has reported more cyberbullying incidents since 2020-21.
Drug and Alcohol Incidents
Drug-related incidents in secondary schools fell during remote learning in 2019-20 and 2020-21, but rose after students returned to in-person classes, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The statewide rate increased from 4.2 incidents per 1,000 students in 2017-18 to 6.5 in 2023-24.
Rates vary by region, with upstate schools seeing nearly 10 incidents per 1,000 students, more than double the rate in New York City. Alcohol incidents remained low across all regions, averaging at or below one per 1,000 students.
Serious Violent and Disruptive Incidents Remain Low
Despite increases in bullying and drug incidents, serious violent and disruptive incidents—including assault, sexual offenses, and weapons possession—remain near zero. Changes in reporting definitions in 2021, including age requirements and felony criteria, contributed to the decline. For example, assault cases fell from 4.9 per 1,000 students in 2017-18 to 0.5 in 2023-24.
Many schools report no violent or disruptive incidents at all. In 2023-24, 41% of public elementary schools and nearly 6% of secondary schools reported zero incidents. The report notes that schools may still have local records of incidents that don’t meet state reporting thresholds.
The report highlights the need for continued attention to bullying and substance abuse, while reinforcing that overall serious violence in schools remains low.
