In a first-of-its-kind study, an agency within the Department of Education has completed a survey of crimes being committed in public schools. The sampling of 1,200 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia revealed that crimes were committed in a majority of schools -- but only 10 percent reported serious violence (see figure).

• Some 57 percent of schools reported to police incidents of fights without weapons, thefts, larcenies and vandalism.

• Incidents of serious crimes in the 10 percent of schools included rapes and sexual assaults, robberies and fights with weapons.

• That figure rose to 20 percent among middle and high schools.

• Researchers point out that comparisons are difficult because there are no other national numbers on crime in schools -- this being the first such study.

But they interpret the rate of serious crimes as fairly small when measured against the 54 million students in public schools. The number of serious crimes included 4,100 rapes or sexual assaults, 7,100 robberies and 11,000 fights with weapons.