Crime rates down at Wake County schools

Overall, crime is down over the past five years in Wake County schools, and the number of reportable crimes dropped more than 8 percent over the past year.

Wake County school officials are required to give crime statistics to the state each year.

During the 2015-2016 school year, about five incidents per thousand students were reported, which is below the state average.

The numbers are also better than other large school districts in the state.

School board member Keith Sutton said the numbers indicate a positive trend.

“It’s encouraging in terms of what’s happening and the system. I think there’s still some work to be done in terms of peeling back some of the layers and looking at some of the deeper meaning behind the numbers,” he said.

Most of the crimes in Wake County schools involve possession of a controlled substance or possession of a weapon. Those incidents make up about 85 percent of reported incidents.