Information Services - Statistical Reports
Student Exclusions 1996 - 1997
Letter from the Commissioner
Student Exclusions by District
Background
A student exclusion is defined as the removal of a student from participation in regular school activities for disciplinary purposes permanently, indefinitely or for more than ten consecutive school days.
The 1996-97 school year was the fourth year in which the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education collected data on student exclusions at the individual level rather than at the aggregate level. All schools were required to submit data on students excluded, as defined above, between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997.
The following analysis is based on data reported by school districts. The data were returned to school districts for verification, and editing of the data was done in cases for which corrections were submitted.
Results
There were 1,498 student exclusions in the 1996-97 school year. A total of 1,446 students were excluded once, and 49 students were excluded two or more times during the year. The greatest number of exclusions for an individual student was four.
Table 1. Exclusions Over Time
| 1996-97 | 1995-96 | 1994-95 | 1993-94 * | 1992-93 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of exclusions | 1498 | 1482 | 1485 | 958 | 983 |
| Number of individual students excluded | 1446 | 1357 | 1390 | NA | NA |
| Number of students excluded more than once | 49 | 105 | 85 | NA | NA |
| Percent of students who received alternative education | 62.9% | 62.7% | 67.4% | 59.3% | NA |
| * Through 5/1/94 NA - Data not available. | |||||
| NA - Data not available. | |||||
The number of students excluded during the 1996-97 school year increased slightly from the previous school year and has remained fairly constant over the past three years. It is important to note that the 1993-94 data were collected as of May 1, 1994, and do not represent the entire school year. Therefore, the increase observed from 1993-94 to 1994-95 may not have been as dramatic as it appears. Rather, the number of exclusions may have increased steadily between 1992-93 and 1994-95, and then leveled off. The number of students excluded more than once during the school year dropped by more than half, from 105 students in 1995-96 to 49 students in 1996-97.
Table 2. Exclusions: Student Characteristics
| 1996-97 | 1995-96 | 1994-95 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | |
| Gender | ||||||
| Male Female Not reported | 1212 286 0 | 80.9 19.1 | 1148 333 1 | 77.5 22.5 0.1 | 1232 248 5 | 83.0 16.7 0.3 |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Asian African-American Hispanic White Native American Not reported | 41 350 506 595 4 2 | 2.7 23.4 33.8 39.7 0.3 0.1 | 54 336 584 490 11 7 | 3.6 22.7 39.4 33.1 0.7 0.5 | 18 320 510 628 3 6 | 1.2 21.5 34.3 42.3 0.2 0.4 |
| Age | ||||||
| 10 years old and under 11-13 years old 14-21 years old Not reported | 47 314 1122 15 | 3.1 21.0 74.9 1.0 | 37 330 1087 28 | 2.5 22.3 73.3 1.9 | 38 273 1147 27 | 2.6 18.4 77.2 1.8 |
| Program Status | ||||||
| Regular education Special education Referred for special education Not reported | 1107 364 9 18 | 73.9 24.3 0.6 1.2 | 1162 305 4 11 | 78.4 20.6 0.3 0.7 | 1034 385 56 10 | 69.6 25.9 3.8 0.7 |
Approximately four-fifths of the students excluded from school were male students. The proportion of male exclusions in 1996-97 increased slightly from the previous year.
In comparison to the total student enrollment, a disproportionate number of students excluded from school were students of color. Minority students were approximately one-fifth of the total student enrollment but comprised three-fifths of student exclusions. Hispanic students, almost one-tenth of the total student enrollment, accounted for one-third of the exclusions. Black students, 8.4 percent of the total student enrollment, accounted for nearly one-quarter of the exclusions. Although white students comprised close to 80 percent of the total student enrollment, they comprised 40 percent of the student exclusions.
Nearly three-quarters of the students excluded from school were between the ages of 14 and 21 years old. Exactly 21 percent were students between the ages of 11 and 13, and approximately three percent were students age 10 and younger. The youngest students excluded were six years old, and the oldest students were 20 years old. About five percent of all students excluded from school were in grades kindergarten through five. Almost 32 percent of excluded students were in grades six through eight, and nearly 64 percent were in grades nine through twelve. The ninth grade had the largest number (396) of students excluded, over one-quarter (26.4 percent) of all students excluded.
Regular education students, who comprised 83.4 percent of the total student enrollment, made up 73.9 percent of student exclusions. Special education students, who comprised 16.6 percent of the total student enrollment, accounted for almost one-quarter of the exclusions. Less than one percent of the exclusions involved students referred for special education.
Schools reported one or more offenses for each student exclusion. Table three lists the number of exclusions that occurred for each of the offenses specified in state law as actions for which school principals are authorized to expel students, and for "other" offenses. Exclusions resulting from more than one offense are listed as either a "weapon combination" or a "non-weapon combination".
Table 3. Exclusions: Offenses
| 1996-97 | 1995-96 | 1994-95 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | |
| Weapon on school premises Illegal substance on school premises Assault on school staff Assault on student Felony outside of school Other Weapon combination Non-weapon combination Not reported | 317 334 179 138 63 286 79 100 2 | 21.2 22.3 11.9 9.2 4.2 19.1 5.3 6.7 0.1 | 257 276 187 158 62 419 53 60 10 | 17.3 18.6 12.6 10.7 4.2 28.3 3.6 4.0 0.7 | 388 307 218 NA 65 396 62 42 7 | 26.1 20.7 14.7 NA 4.4 26.7 4.2 2.8 0.5 |
| Type of Weapon* | ||||||
| Knife Gun Explosive or incendiary device Other Not reported | 242 36 18 99 1 | 61.1 9.1 4.5 25.0 0.3 | 220 25 7 53 5 | 71.0 8.1 2.3 17.1 1.6 | 298 49 11 83 9 | 66.2 10.9 2.4 18.4 2.0 |
| *Percent is for exclusions involving a weapon. | ||||||
| NA - Data not available. | ||||||
Over one-quarter of student exclusions were for weapons or weapon combinations. This is an increase from the previous year of more than five percentage points. Over one-fifth of the exclusions were for possession of an illegal substance, an increase from the previous year of nearly four percentage points, and almost one-fifth were for an offense reported as "other". Nearly 12 percent of the exclusions were for an assault on school staff, continuing a slight decrease seen over the previous two years. Exclusions for an assault on a student, slightly above nine percent, also declined from the prior year.
Of the 396 exclusions that involved a weapon, slightly more than three-fifths involved a knife, a decrease of 10 percentage points from the previous year. Approximately nine percent involved a gun, and almost five percent involved an explosive or incendiary device. Some other type of weapon accounted for one-quarter of the exclusions involving a weapon, an increase from 17 percent the previous year.
Type of offense varied by race/ethnicity. White students who were excluded from school were more likely to be removed for possession of an illegal substance than for any other offense (39.3 percent). African-American students were more likely to be excluded for possession of a weapon (23.4 percent), Asian students for a felony outside of school (26.8 percent), and Hispanic students for an offense reported as "other" (27.1 percent).
Students in grades six through eight were more likely to be excluded from school for a weapon than for any other offense. About 30 percent of the student exclusions from grades six through eight were due to a weapon, compared to about 16 percent of the student exclusions from grades nine through twelve. Students in grades nine through twelve were more likely to be excluded from school for possession of an illegal substance (28.5 percent) than for any other offense.
Schools were asked to report the date the student was excluded and either the date the student returned to school or was eligible to return to school, or that the exclusion was permanent.
Table 4. Length of Exclusion*
| 1996-97 | 1995-96 | 1994-95 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | |
| 14-29 days 30-59 days 60-179 days 180-364 days One year Longer than one year To end of current school year To end of next school year Permanent Not reported | 254 387 95 26 113 6 397 12 164 44 | 17.0 25.8 6.3 1.7 7.5 0.4 26.5 0.8 10.9 2.9 | 347 409 130 32 57 0 273 8 165 61 | 23.4 27.6 8.8 2.2 3.8 0 18.4 0.5 11.1 4.1 | 208 443 108 19 72 17 381 0 187 50 | 14.0 29.8 7.3 1.3 4.8 1.1 25.7 0 12.6 3.4 |
| *Data are reported in calendar days, not in school days. | ||||||
Nearly 43 percent of student exclusions were for fewer than 60 calendar days, compared to 51 percent the prior year. Just over one-quarter of the exclusions lasted from the date of the exclusion to the end of the 1996-97 school year, an increase of eight percentage points from the previous year. Nearly 11 percent of the exclusions were permanent, about the same as in the previous year. Exactly 7.5 percent of exclusions were for a full year, up from 3.8 percent the prior year.
White students were more likely to be excluded permanently than any other racial group. Almost 17 percent of white students who were excluded from school were removed permanently, compared with 6.6 percent of African American students, 12.2 percent of Asian students, and 7.3 percent of Hispanic students.
The length of exclusion varied by the type of offense. Exclusions resulting from a weapon, an illegal substance, a felony outside of school, a weapon combination, and a non-weapon combination were more likely to lead to a permanent exclusion than an exclusion of a lesser length of time. An assault on school staff most often resulted in an exclusion of 30 to 59 days. Exclusions for an assault on a student and for offenses reported as "other" most often lasted from 14 to 29 days.
Students in grades kindergarten through five who were excluded from school were most often excluded for 14 to 29 days. Students in grades six through eight were more likely to be removed for 30 to 59 days, and students in grades nine through twelve were more likely to be excluded to the end of the 1996-97 school year.
In the 1996-97 school year, nearly 63 percent of the students excluded from school were provided with alternative education, most often with an in-district alternative program. In the cases where students were not provided with alternative education, the reason reported for over 75 percent was that the school chose not to provide it, nearly double from the previous year.
Nearly 55 percent of regular education students excluded from school received alternative education. Although by law special education students who are excluded from school must be provided with alternative education, just under 90 percent of special education students received alternative education. Of the 39 special education students who did not receive alternative education, the reason reported for 23 of the students was that the school chose not to provide it. For 11 of the students it was reported that the student refused or did not respond, four of the students were reported as being incarcerated, and one student had moved.
For all offenses except possession of an illegal substance, a majority of regular education students excluded were provided with alternative education. However, less than two-fifths of regular education students excluded for possession of an illegal substance were provided with alternative education. Regular education students excluded due to an assault on school staff were more likely to be provided with alternative education (70 percent) than were students who were excluded due to another type of offense.
Table 5. Exclusions: Alternative Education
| 1996-97 | 1995-96 | 1994-95 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | |
| All Students | ||||||
| Alternative education provided Alternative education not provided Not reported | 942 538 18 | 62.9 35.9 1.2 | 929 484 69 | 62.7 32.7 4.6 | 1001 411 73 | 67.4 27.7 4.9 |
| Regular Education Students | ||||||
| Alternative education provided Alternative education not provided Not reported | 608 492 7 | 54.9 44.4 0.6 | 669 433 60 | 57.6 37.3 5.2 | 608 374 52 | 58.8 36.2 5.0 |
| Special Education Students | ||||||
| Alternative education provided Alternative education not provided Not reported | 323 39 2 | 88.7 10.7 0.5 | 252 46 7 | 82.6 15.1 2.3 | 351 24 10 | 91.2 6.2 2.6 |
| Special Education Referrals | ||||||
| Alternative education provided Alternative education not provided Not reported | 6 3 0 | 66.7 33.3 0 | 2 2 0 | 50.0 50.0 0 | 42 13 1 | 75.0 23.2 1.8 |
| Type of Alternative Education Provided | ||||||
| Home tutoring In-district alternative program Alternative program in another district Private alternative setting Work/community service setting Not reported | 247 579 14 94 2 6 | 26.2 61.5 1.5 10.0 0.2 0.6 | 181 586 16 142 1 3 | 19.5 63.1 1.7 15.3 0.1 0.3 | 268 590 30 43 1 69 | 26.8 58.9 3.0 4.3 0.1 6.9 |
| Reason Alternative Education Was Not Provided | ||||||
| Student moved/transferred Student refused/did not respond Student was incarcerated School chose not to provide it Not reported | 30 80 8 405 15 | 5.6 14.9 1.5 75.3 2.8 | 31 153 21 186 93 | 6.4 31.6 4.3 38.4 19.2 | NA NA NA NA NA | |
The provision of alternative education varied by the length of the exclusion. Regular education students most likely to be provided with alternative education were those excluded for 30 to 59 days (77 percent). Almost 65 percent of regular education students excluded for one year were provided with alternative education, and 51 percent of regular education students excluded until the end of the school year received alternative education. Regular education students excluded permanently (20 percent) and those excluded for fewer than 30 days (39 percent) were least likely to be provided with alternative education.
Table 6. Distribution of Districts by Number of Exclusions
| Number of Exclusions | 1996-97 | 1995-96 | 1994-95 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | |
| 0 | 200 | 56% | 213 | 61% | 156 | 47% |
| 1-3 | 90 | 25% | 74 | 21% | 103 | 31% |
| 4-9 | 42 | 12% | 44 | 13% | 47 | 14% |
| 10-19 | 15 | 4% | 9 | 3% | 12 | 4% |
| 20-49 | 4 | 1% | 5 | 1% | 6 | 2% |
| 50-99 | 2 | 1% | 1 | 0% | 3 | 1% |
| 100 or more | 3 | 1% | 3 | 1% | 2 | 1% |
Over half of the 356 districts reported no student exclusions for the school year 1996-97. A total of 156 districts, or 44 percent, excluded students. One-quarter of all districts reported between one and three exclusions. Twenty-four districts, or seven percent of all districts, reported ten or more student exclusions. This is an increase from the prior year when 18 districts reported ten or more student exclusions.
Table 7. Districts with Ten or More Student Exclusions
| 1996-97 | 1995-96 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | # | per 1000 students | % Alt. Ed. | District | # | per 1000 students | % Alt. Ed. | |
| Springfield | 399 | 16.8 | 71 | Springfield | 384 | 16.3 | 56 | |
| Lawrence | 184 | 16.4 | 86 | Lawrence | 264 | 23.3 | 80 | |
| Boston | 109 | 1.7 | 68 | Holyoke | 115 | 14.9 | 84 | |
| Worcester | 77 | 3.4 | 97 | Boston | 90 | 1.4 | 77 | |
| Lowell | 55 | 3.6 | 84 | Worcester | 39 | 1.6 | 97 | |
| Cambridge | 36 | 4.5 | 81 | Lowell | 35 | 2.3 | 74 | |
| Methuen | 26 | 4.1 | 19 | Cambridge | 26 | 3.3 | 65 | |
| Holyoke | 24 | 3.1 | 29 | Dennis-Yarmouth | 25 | 5.4 | 56 | |
| Quincy | 22 | 2.5 | 23 | Framingham | 23 | 3.1 | 96 | |
| Framingham | 16 | 2.1 | 94 | Lynn | 17 | 1.3 | 47 | |
| New Bedford | 16 | 1.1 | 100 | Fitchburg | 16 | 3.1 | 50 | |
| Peabody | 13 | 2.1 | 23 | Greater Lawrence Voc | 15 | 10.5 | 7 | |
| Southern Berkshire | 13 | 12.0 | 100 | Woburn | 13 | 2.8 | 15 | |
| Chicopee | 12 | 1.6 | 33 | North Brookfield | 12 | 14.3 | 100 | |
| Plymouth | 12 | 1.4 | 17 | New Bedford | 11 | 0.8 | 91 | |
| Dennis-Yarmouth | 12 | 2.6 | 58 | Stoughton | 11 | 2.7 | 73 | |
| Greater Lawrence | 12 | 8.7 | 33 | Northampton | 10 | 3.2 | 80 | |
| Revere | 11 | 2.0 | 64 | Whittier Voc | 10 | 8.8 | 20 | |
| Westfield | 11 | 1.7 | 18 | |||||
| Dracut | 10 | 2.5 | 70 | |||||
| Fairhaven | 10 | 4.5 | 10 | |||||
| Haverhill | 10 | 1.2 | 0 | |||||
| Waltham | 10 | 1.9 | 70 | |||||
| Old Rochester | 10 | 9.6 | 90 | |||||
Although some districts may have excluded more than 10 students from school, due to their large enrollment they had fewer than four exclusions per 1000 students enrolled in the district. Other districts had fewer than 10 student exclusions, but had four or more exclusions per 1000 students. In 1996-97, 15 districts had more four or more student exclusions per 1000 students, a slight increase from 13 districts in 1995-96.
Table 8. Districts with Four or More Student Exclusions per 1000 Students
| 1996-97 | 1995-96 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | # | per 1000 students | % Alt. Ed. | District | # | per 1000 students | % Alt. Ed. | |
| Springfield | 399 | 16.79 | 71 | Lawrence | 264 | 23.3 | 80 | |
| Lawrence | 184 | 16.38 | 86 | Youthbuild Boston CS_ | 1 | 16.7 | 0 | |
| Marthas Vineyard | 8 | 13.01 | 75 | Springfield | 384 | 16.3 | 56 | |
| Southern Berkshire | 13 | 12.00 | 100 | Holyoke | 115 | 14.9 | 84 | |
| Old Rochester | 10 | 9.59 | 90 | North Brookfield | 12 | 14.3 | 100 | |
| South Shore Reg Voc | 5 | 9.24 | 60 | Greater Lawrence Voc_ | 15 | 10.5 | 7 | |
| Greater Lawrence Voc_ | 12 | 8.66 | 33 | Old Colony Voc Tech | 5 | 10.1 | 0 | |
| Provincetown | 2 | 6.10 | 50 | Whittier Voc | 10 | 8.8 | 20 | |
| Cambridge | 36 | 4.53 | 81 | Northeast Metro Voc | 8 | 7.1 | 25 | |
| Fairhaven | 10 | 4.53 | 10 | South Shore Charter | 1 | 6.7 | 100 | |
| Whittier Voc | 5 | 4.22 | 0 | Harvard | 7 | 6.6 | 14 | |
| North Shore Reg Voc | 2 | 4.20 | 0 | Dennis-Yarmouth | 25 | 5.4 | 56 | |
| Methuen | 26 | 4.06 | 19 | Concord-Carlisle | 4 | 4.4 | 25 | |
| Upper Cape Cod Voc | 2 | 4.05 | 50 | |||||
| Ware | 5 | 4.00 | 20 | |||||