The number of incidents of bullying reported by school districts, per 1,000 students in the school districts in a county or school district.
Bullying can negatively affect a student's self-esteem, ability to concentrate and ability to learn. It may affect not only the targeted student, but also other students who feel afraid or insecure in an environment where bullying is occurring.
In 2022, there were about 4,700 reported bullying incidents in Essex County, for a rate of 41 per 1,000 students. This was similar to the state rate of 42 in 2021, and lower than the county's 2013 rate of 52 per 1,000 students. Within Essex County, Saugus (182) and Methuen (80) had the highest rates among the districts.
Essex County had a much higher rate than Middlesex, MA (28 per 1,000) in 2022.
Comparable data was not available for Westchester, NY and Lake, IL. Bullying is defined by Massachusetts as the repeated use by one or more students of written, verbal or electronic expression or physical acts or gestures that cause physical or emotional harm or property damage, creates fear in the target of the bullying, creates a hostile environment, infringes on rights, or disrupts the educational process. New York has a slightly different definition.
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 51.5 | 50.0 | 40.3 | 43.4 | 37.0 | 41.2 | 41.9 | 27.0 | 5.3 | 40.5 |
| Middlesex County, MA | 35.7 | 35.2 | N/A | 27.9 | 29.0 | 30.4 | 30.4 | 20.1 | 5.1 | 27.8 |
| Westchester County, NY | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 2.7 | 1.5 | |
| Massachusetts | 55.6 | 51.7 | 41.1 | 42.6 | 39.8 | 41.6 | 42.5 | 29.2 | 6.9 | 42.0 |
| School Districts in Essex | ||||||||||
| Amesbury | 26.2 | 13.1 | 11.8 | 14.8 | 20.6 | 20.2 | 26.6 | 15.5 | 0.0 | 21.1 |
| Amesbury Academy Charter Public | 0.0 | 58.8 | 274.5 | |||||||
| Andover | 23.5 | 16.9 | 14.7 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 13.5 | 11.3 | 9.9 | 2.6 | 7.8 |
| Beverly | 29.8 | 29.7 | 29.0 | 33.7 | 35.0 | 44.3 | 41.5 | 31.6 | 5.3 | 33.7 |
| Boxford | 0.0 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 5.3 | 7.8 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Community Day Charter Public School - Gateway | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 7.4 |
| Community Day Charter Public School - Prospect | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 2.5 |
| Community Day Charter Public School - R. Kingman Webster | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.3 | 16.5 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 7.3 |
| Danvers | 30.9 | 36.6 | 35.1 | 31.1 | 16.3 | 16.8 | 33.6 | 18.3 | 11.8 | 24.6 |
| Essex Agricultural Technical | 16.7 | 27.4 | 30.1 | 28.6 | 0.0 | 10.8 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 12.7 | 16.3 |
| Georgetown | 11.8 | 16.9 | 10.7 | 14.4 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Gloucester | 32.0 | 30.4 | 26.6 | 37.8 | 39.3 | 48.3 | 41.6 | 16.7 | 2.4 | 21.0 |
| Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical | 146.6 | 113.7 | 76.5 | 89.8 | 102.7 | 87.9 | 64.0 | 40.3 | 8.5 | 54.7 |
| Hamilton-Wenham | 10.6 | 13.4 | 12.2 | 20.0 | 13.8 | 8.3 | 9.5 | 5.9 | 1.1 | 8.2 |
| Haverhill | 42.5 | 47.1 | 64.6 | 31.5 | 37.4 | 48.7 | 41.7 | 27.4 | 13.1 | 72.4 |
| Hill View Montessori Charter Public | 38.7 | 22.0 | 6.5 | 19.4 | 13.0 | 29.3 | 44.4 | 37.9 | 6.3 | 18.4 |
| Ipswich | 19.3 | 13.8 | 15.9 | 20.3 | 16.5 | 26.5 | 2.3 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 12.5 |
| KIPP Academy Lynn Charter | 88.9 | 139.5 | 130.8 | 150.5 | 202.8 | 121.6 | 94.9 | 28.9 | 0.6 | 39.9 |
| Lawrence | 75.8 | 76.8 | 49.3 | 63.3 | 58.7 | 62.3 | 57.5 | 32.9 | 0.8 | 50.2 |
| Lawrence Family Development Charter | 4.7 | 10.6 | 35.1 | 19.9 | 27.4 | 44.6 | 34.0 | 11.4 | 0.0 | 10.0 |
| Lynn | 155.1 | 144.6 | 97.3 | 106.3 | 78.5 | 77.1 | 79.5 | 55.9 | 1.4 | 51.9 |
| Lynnfield | 10.0 | 12.0 | 19.6 | 12.4 | 6.7 | 9.4 | 6.3 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 5.4 |
| Manchester Essex Regional | 2.5 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.9 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 2.3 |
| Marblehead | 17.7 | 15.8 | 7.0 | 9.8 | 13.4 | 19.2 | 16.1 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 17.3 |
| Marblehead Community Charter Public | 21.3 | 21.4 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 17.0 | 42.4 | 55.1 | 23.6 | 8.9 | 29.2 |
| Masconomet | 32.3 | 30.1 | 19.6 | 38.6 | 37.3 | 34.3 | 35.6 | 14.4 | 6.5 | 25.4 |
| Methuen | 31.1 | 27.3 | 66.5 | 56.6 | 34.4 | 50.7 | 64.8 | 48.8 | 10.7 | 80.1 |
| Middleton | 3.6 | 7.5 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Nahant | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Newburyport | 6.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 10.3 | 9.5 | 13.5 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 9.4 |
| North Andover | 7.6 | 12.4 | 7.9 | 12.6 | 12.0 | 11.1 | 16.1 | 9.9 | 0.0 | 12.3 |
| North Shore Regional Vocational Technical | 99.8 | 75.1 | ||||||||
| Peabody | 35.9 | 30.1 | 6.4 | 23.9 | 11.4 | 28.5 | 37.7 | 30.0 | 6.5 | 36.5 |
| Pentucket | 7.0 | 7.6 | 21.2 | 18.0 | 23.5 | 20.6 | 23.7 | 17.2 | 14.1 | 27.4 |
| River Valley Charter | 0.0 | 10.3 | 13.6 | 6.9 | 0.0 | 17.1 | 3.4 | 13.7 | 0.0 | 3.4 |
| Rockport | 30.6 | 15.2 | 4.1 | 0.0 | 14.8 | 38.9 | 51.4 | 27.6 | 14.0 | 39.0 |
| Salem | 73.9 | 60.3 | 51.7 | 52.5 | 17.3 | 25.6 | 24.7 | 20.4 | 7.3 | 41.5 |
| Salem Academy Charter | 142.9 | 112.3 | 94.7 | 88.2 | 57.4 | 99.6 | 72.9 | 40.2 | 4.0 | 40.3 |
| Saugus | 77.1 | 79.4 | 27.9 | 49.1 | 56.4 | 59.7 | 66.0 | 37.0 | 17.0 | 182.0 |
| Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter | 10.3 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.7 | 5.2 | 19.3 | ||||
| Swampscott | 22.5 | 19.8 | 11.7 | 13.3 | 10.4 | 14.1 | 23.9 | 13.6 | 2.7 | 21.2 |
| Topsfield | 3.2 | 9.6 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| Triton | 15.9 | 15.3 | 16.8 | 22.1 | 21.1 | 17.1 | 20.8 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 28.9 |
| Whittier Regional Vocational Technical | 20.8 | 53.9 | 40.1 | 44.1 | 55.7 | 69.4 | 73.2 | 45.8 | 16.7 | 50.6 |
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 6,149 | 6,031 | 4,866 | 5,220 | 4,455 | 4,969 | 5,047 | 3,219 | 613 | 4,702 |
| Middlesex County, MA | 7,953 | 7,901 | N/A | 6,289 | 6,567 | 6,912 | 6,912 | 4,570 | 1,125 | 6,200 |
| Westchester County, NY | 740 | 1,494 | 1,241 | 1,137 | 1,131 | 851 | 701 | 399 | 213 | |
| Massachusetts | 54,453 | 50,732 | 40,278 | 41,744 | 39,025 | 40,809 | 41,501 | 28,332 | 6,480 | 39,676 |
| School Districts in Essex | ||||||||||
| Amesbury | 63 | 32 | 28 | 35 | 46 | 45 | 57 | 32 | 0 | 40 |
| Amesbury Academy Charter Public | 0 | 3 | 14 | |||||||
| Andover | 150 | 106 | 92 | 81 | 68 | 82 | 69 | 59 | 15 | 44 |
| Beverly | 134 | 135 | 135 | 158 | 164 | 206 | 196 | 153 | 25 | 163 |
| Boxford | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Community Day Charter Public School - Gateway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Community Day Charter Public School - Prospect | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Community Day Charter Public School - R. Kingman Webster | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Danvers | 116 | 139 | 130 | 115 | 59 | 60 | 120 | 64 | 40 | 82 |
| Essex Agricultural Technical | 8 | 13 | 34 | 35 | 0 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 20 | 27 |
| Georgetown | 19 | 26 | 16 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gloucester | 103 | 97 | 81 | 113 | 119 | 145 | 126 | 49 | 7 | 62 |
| Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical | 194 | 154 | 105 | 127 | 152 | 134 | 101 | 65 | 14 | 91 |
| Hamilton-Wenham | 21 | 26 | 23 | 37 | 25 | 15 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 14 |
| Haverhill | 318 | 360 | 502 | 248 | 295 | 389 | 357 | 232 | 107 | 598 |
| Hill View Montessori Charter Public | 12 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 6 |
| Ipswich | 40 | 28 | 31 | 38 | 30 | 47 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 21 |
| KIPP Academy Lynn Charter | 53 | 102 | 115 | 158 | 246 | 166 | 141 | 47 | 1 | 65 |
| Lawrence | 1,069 | 1,149 | 753 | 953 | 904 | 952 | 860 | 481 | 11 | 708 |
| Lawrence Family Development Charter | 3 | 7 | 24 | 14 | 20 | 33 | 26 | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| Lynn | 2,321 | 2,224 | 1,533 | 1,713 | 1,286 | 1,282 | 1,342 | 938 | 23 | 869 |
| Lynnfield | 23 | 27 | 44 | 28 | 15 | 21 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| Manchester Essex Regional | 4 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Marblehead | 59 | 53 | 23 | 32 | 43 | 61 | 50 | 18 | 18 | 46 |
| Marblehead Community Charter Public | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Masconomet | 67 | 62 | 39 | 75 | 69 | 62 | 64 | 25 | 11 | 42 |
| Methuen | 229 | 199 | 487 | 415 | 251 | 370 | 472 | 353 | 73 | 546 |
| Middleton | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nahant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Newburyport | 15 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 24 | 22 | 31 | 6 | 3 | 21 |
| North Andover | 37 | 61 | 39 | 61 | 59 | 55 | 79 | 47 | 0 | 57 |
| North Shore Regional Vocational Technical | 48 | 35 | ||||||||
| Peabody | 228 | 191 | 40 | 148 | 71 | 177 | 236 | 187 | 39 | 227 |
| Pentucket | 21 | 22 | 59 | 47 | 60 | 52 | 59 | 42 | 32 | 62 |
| River Valley Charter | 0 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Rockport | 29 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 36 | 47 | 24 | 11 | 30 |
| Salem | 342 | 277 | 231 | 214 | 71 | 104 | 99 | 78 | 29 | 164 |
| Salem Academy Charter | 50 | 43 | 36 | 38 | 26 | 48 | 36 | 20 | 2 | 20 |
| Saugus | 227 | 232 | 79 | 138 | 155 | 165 | 181 | 101 | 43 | 482 |
| Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 11 | ||||
| Swampscott | 53 | 47 | 27 | 31 | 24 | 32 | 54 | 31 | 6 | 45 |
| Topsfield | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Triton | 47 | 44 | 48 | 61 | 56 | 45 | 52 | 31 | 29 | 66 |
| Whittier Regional Vocational Technical | 26 | 70 | 53 | 60 | 74 | 88 | 92 | 58 | 21 | 65 |
