Feeling Safe at School

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

In a survey of Washington public school students, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders were asked whether they feel safe at school. In 2023, 83.7% 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 (78.4%) and Hispanic/Latino students (79.4%) students.

  • Sexual orientation: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB+) students were less likely than the King County average to feel safe at school (75.7%).  

  • Region: Students in the South Region were less likely to feel safe (78.5%) than students in East Region (90.5%) and North Region of the county (87.2%).  

  • Gender: Students who identified as transgender (69.0%) or “something else fits better” (70.7%) or who were questioning their gender (70.2%), were less likely than the King County average to feel safe at school. 

Notes & Sources

Source: Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) 2004 - 2023

Every 2 years, Washington public school students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades answer questions about safety and violence, physical activity and diet, alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, and related risk and protective factors. To learn more about the survey, please go to https://www.doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/DataSystems/HealthyYouthSurvey.  

Numerator: Students who agreed with the statement, "I feel safe at my school.”  

Denominator: All students who answered the question. 

To learn more about the Healthy Youth Survey and view the data biography, click here.