Emphasizing that youth violence is a serious public health problem the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that in 2008 youth violence was the second leading cause of death for children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24 in the U.S.
School violence is a part of youth violence. School violence refers to the incidence of violent behavior and crime specifically within educational institutions. School violence can be mild or severe, including bullying, emotional and physical abuse, exploitation of weapons, robbery, gang activities, assault, rape, suicide, and homicide.
Today, stories of extreme forms of school violence in the media like school shootings may seem frequent; however, these extreme forms of school violence are rare with less than one percent of school-aged homicides taking place on school property. Optimistically, studies show that the occurrence of school violence has been declining since the early 1990s.
Still, school violence, in whatever form, is a problem that can leave lasting negative effects on a child or young adult. The age group with the highest risk of becoming victims of school violence is 12 to 24. Studies show that each year one in 12 teens in high school is threatened or injured with a weapon. Beyond physical damage, students involved in school violence whether as the victim, instigator, or witness may develop psychological problems including depression, anxiety, and immobilizing fear.
Common indicators of school violence include victimization, verbal harassment, classroom disorder, coercion, criminality, and physical assault. It takes the effort of the entire community to prevent school violence by reducing risk factors and fostering an environment where children and young adults feel they are safe. 
