FBI: Schools were third most common location for hate crimes in 2018-2022

A new report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shows that schools, colleges, and universities have become the third most common location for hate crimes to occur nationwide.

The report showed the only two more common locations for hate crimes are homes and roadways.

The report, released Monday, details the rising threat of hate crimes in schools based on data across the five-year span between 2018 and 2022. While those occurring in schools made up only 8.2% of all hate crimes in 2018, that statistic rose to 10% in 2022.

The FBI defines a hate crime as “a committed criminal offense which is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias(es) against a race/ethnicity/ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, or gender identity.” The most commonly reported form of hate crime was intimidation, with 1,623 instances reported across the five-year span studied, followed by destruction of property or vandalism offenses, with 1543 instances reported. 

The report also revealed that the most common targets of hate crimes in schools were individuals who are African American or Jewish. 

Data for 2023 has not yet been released by the FBI. 

Notably, the escalation of conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas sparked a rise in allegations of hate crimes in academic institutions beginning in the latter half of 2023, which also fell outside the scope of the new FBI report.  

At least 99 universities, including Harvard, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, University of Minnesota, and Ohio State University are facing federal investigations into allegations of antisemitism on campus.  

Jewish students have reported harassment such as being blocked from attending classes by classmates who support Hamas, as well as being called obscenities.