National Center for Education Statistics: Bullying Statistics

Bullying Statistics (2021–22)

• Prevalence: Approximately 19% of students ages 12–18 reported being bullied during the 2021–22 school year, a decrease from 28% in 2010–11.
• Online Bullying: Among students who were bullied, 22% reported the incidents occurred online or via text.
• Common Types of Bullying:
  • Rumors: 13%
  • Name-calling/insults: 12%
  • Physical acts (pushing, tripping, etc.): 5%
  • Exclusion: 4%
  • Threats: 3%
  • Coercion: 3%
  • Sharing private information/media: 3%
  • Property destruction: 1%
• Demographic Variations:
  • Gender: Female students (22%) reported higher rates of bullying than male students (17%).
  • Race/Ethnicity: Students of Two or more races (30%) and White students (22%) reported higher rates than Black (17%), Hispanic (16%), and Asian (9%) students.
  • Grade Level: Middle schoolers (grades 6–8) reported higher rates (25–27%) than high schoolers (grades 9–12, 10–18%).
• School Environment Factors:
  • Locale: Rural schools (24%) and towns (23%) reported higher bullying rates than cities (19%) and suburban areas (17%).
  • School Type: Public school students (20%) reported higher rates than private school students (15%).
• Data Scope: Statistics cover students in grades 6–12; the 2021–22 definition of bullying was expanded to include the intentional sharing of private information, photos, or videos.