Suspensions Soar

The federal government has data on expulsions for only one year, 1996-97, when 87,000 students were expelled. Suspensions, however, have risen sharply in recent years. The numbers only show the number of students suspended, regardless of the times they were suspended.

Year	Number Suspended	Percent of Students
1997-98 1991-92 1983-84 1973-74	3.19 million 2.39 million 1.87 million 1.70 million	6.92% 5.63% 4.74% 3.73%

Source: Elementary and Secondary School Civil Rights Compliance Reports, U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights.

Spring 2001