2024 Student Safety Report

 

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Gaggle’s 2024 Student Safety Report presents key findings from Gaggle’s 2023–2024 incident data, including significant increases in incidents related to suicide, self-harm, and violence among students of all ages. These alarming statistics highlight the necessity of creating supportive environments that protect students and prevent crises before they escalate.

Incidents of student suicide and self harm are on the rise

Incidents related to suicide and self harm increased more than 10% compared to last school year.

This rate has more than doubled over the past 5 years.

In the 2023-2024 school year alone, the Gaggle Safety Team identified 484 suicide notes.

Gaggle trends align with national reporting, which find that poor mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors have increased for nearly all groups of youth since 2011, and suicide is now the leading cause of death for children aged 10-14.

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Read about how Gaggle helped Hillsborough County Public Schools save a student life here.

The increases in student suicide and self-harm are most prominent among younger students

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Incidents related to suicide and self-harm have increased more than 20% among elementary-aged students.

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The Gaggle Safety Team found 76% more suicide notes written by elementary aged students compared to last school year.

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Overall, there was a nearly 30% increase in incidents posing the most critical risk for elementary school students.

The Gaggle Safety Team saved 99 elementary-aged student lives this school year, nearly double the amount of the prior school year.

Research shows that 50% of lifetime mental illness cases begin before the age of 14, yet only half of these youth will receive any kind of treatment. Even fewer receive evidence-based treatments.

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Schools can play a critical role in supporting students' mental health. Read more about what this support looks like specifically for younger students.

Concerning student content is a leading indicator of future crises related to suicide and self-harm

Nearly 1/3 of the most critical incidents of suicide and self harm involved students who were previously identified as engaging in concerning online activity. 

35% of high school students involved in the most critical incidents were previously engaged in questionable online activity.

Students previously identified as engaging in questionable online activity of any kind in the past two school years were 13x more likely to experience suicide or self-harm crisis during the 2023-2024 school year.

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Know the warning signs of suicide ideation to proactively support your students.

Incidents related to violence also increased over the past school year

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Incidents related to violence and posing the most critical risk for students increased 22% during the 2023-2024 school year.

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Of those incidents posing the most critical risk, 13% involved a weapon or a threat of a weapon.

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Incidents related to violence increased 21% for elementary, 14% for middle school, and 20% among high school students.

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These incidents become more nuanced at the high school level. In elementary and middle school, most of these incidents are related to physical violence and most commonly involve other students.

At the high school level there are higher rates of student content related to sexual violence (16%) and domestic abuse (26%).

Rates of violence at school have shown to impact chronic absenteeism, as the CDC reports an increase in the percentage of students who miss school because of safety concerns either at school or on the way to school.

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Discover how Gaggle partnered with Mansfield ISD to help address bullying.

Investing in student safety today secures lives tomorrow

Putting student safety first requires investments in:

Comprehensive Coverage

Gaggle analyzed more than 6.6 billion pieces of student content during the 2023-2024 school year. 

Our best-in-class combination of machine learning and human review allows our team to investigate and triage the most critical issues, ultimately ensuring that every reviewed alert receives the attention it needs and contributes to student safety—ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

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Detecting Emerging Risks

Student communication evolves every year as terminology and slang change rapidly, incorporating new phrases and cultural references. 

Nearly 20% (85,212) of the alerts sent during the 2023-2024 school year were identified using updated terminology added to Gaggle’s safety review process. 

This adaptability is critical to keeping pace with the way students communicate and addressing emerging threats effectively, providing proactive interventions to protect student well-being.

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Accurate and Timely Alerts

Quality of these alerts matter. Through continuous advancements in technology, meticulous monitoring, adaptation to evolving student language, and investment in specialized human evaluators, Gaggle ensures that the alerts sent to district and school officials are both accurate and actionable.

By focusing on precision and reliability, Gaggle’s approach stands out as an industry benchmark for student safety. This commitment not only helps schools react swiftly to potential crises but also aids in fostering a safer and more supportive learning environment for all students. 

Gaggle’s mission is focused on both preventing immediate harm and ensuring lifetimes, giving students the opportunity to thrive in a safe, supportive environment.

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Watch how Marion County Public Schools compares Gaggle alerts to others here.

About The Data

Since 1998, Gaggle has been a leader in monitoring student content on school-issued devices and accounts, ensuring student digital safety. Over the years, we have expanded our focus to support student mental health through proactive, comprehensive safety solutions.

Since 2019, Gaggle has reported student safety data annually, notifying districts of more than 2,000,000 actionable incidents. Over this period, Gaggle analyzed over 31.5 billion pieces of student content, saving 6,905 student lives.

Data is collected annually by Gaggle’s in-house data analytics team, ensuring that all insights are based on accurate and up-to-date information. Incident rates are reported per 10,000 students to provide a consistent metric that accounts for changes in the overall student population, making it easier to compare trends year-over-year as Gaggle’s coverage continues to expand across more districts.  This method allows educational leaders to understand the scope of incidents in a way that is meaningful and adjusted for school size, offering a clearer picture of student safety  and well-being.

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