This study explores how much crime occurs near schools, and whether this differs based on the type of school. Whereas prior research often just focuses on the presence of schools to assess their impact on neighborhood crime. we measure two key school characteristics that might affect local juvenile crime. We assess whether schools with more high school dropouts have more juvenile crime nearby, and find that this is indeed the case. There are more aggravated assaults and robberies near such schools. We also assess whether high-performing schools have less crime nearby, but there is no difference in the amount of juvenile crime near these schools.
You can access the article by Dr. Julie Gerlinger and Dr. John R. Hipp in The Social Science Journal entitled, “Schools and neighborhood crime: The effects of dropouts and high-performing schools on juvenile crime.”
Abstract: “Most scholars have focused on the simple presence of schools when examining their influence on neighborhood crime. This paper instead examines two school characteristics that might affect local juvenile crime. More specifically, this study uses negative binomial and logistic regression models to estimate the effects of high school dropouts and high-performing schools on juvenile violent crime in Orange County, CA. An integrated theoretical approach based on social bond and routine activity theories is utilized to guide this research. Findings from this study suggest that dropouts are associated with increases in aggravated assault and robbery incidents, but high-performing schools do not significantly affect these crime types. Finally, the models predicting juvenile crime are compared with models predicting all crime (both juveniles and adults), supporting our argument that juvenile crime is the theoretically appropriate crime measure.”