Feeling Safe at School

Students of color and LGB+ students are less likely to feel safe at school.

In a survey of public school students, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders were asked whether they feel safe at school. For 2018 and 2021 combined, 83.5% of King County students said they feel safe at school.  

• Race and ethnicity: Students of color were less likely than the King County average to feel safe at school. This included Black/African American students (79.2%), Hispanic/Latino students (79.0%), and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students (78.9%). White (85.8%) students were more likely than average to feel safe at school. Among students of Asian descent, there were some differences by ethnicity, with those identifying as Filipino (80.4%) less likely to report feeling safe at school than Asian students overall.    

• Sexual orientation: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB+) students were less likely than the King County average to feel safe at school (76.4%). Among LGB+ students, there were differences by race/ethnicity: those who were Black/African American (69.4%) or Hispanic (71.8%) were less likely to feel safe than LGB+ students overall (data in Custom Demographics Tab).  

• Region: Students in South Region were less likely to feel safe (78.7%) than students in all other regions of King County: East Region (88.5%), North Region (86.3%), and Seattle (85.0%).  

• Gender: Students who identified as transgender (68.8%), “something else that fits better” (70.3%), or who were questioning their gender (72.8%), were less likely than the King County average to feel safe at school.