The proportion of students who say they were bullied or experienced school violence in the past year has reached a new high, according to a new survey released Tuesday that highlights elementary students being most at risk.
 
In response to the Education Ministry’s survey on school violence for the first half of 2025, two-point-five percent of students said they'd experienced school violence, up zero-point-four percentage points on-year, representing the highest figure since related data was first recorded in 2013.

That included 5 percent of elementary school students surveyed, up zero-point-eight percent from last year, while middle school students reported a rate of two-point-one percent and high schoolers zero-point-seven percent.
 
Verbal abuse was the most common type of violence students cited, accounting for 39 percent, followed by social exclusion at 16-point-four percent, physical violence at 14-point-six percent, cyberbullying at seven-point-eight percent and sexual violence at six percent.
 
Noting that increased sensitivity to school violence through education and media may have led to the higher response rates this year, the ministry said it will use the survey to help develop preventative measures and related educational materials.

The survey of three-point-26 million students from fourth grade through high school was conducted online for four weeks starting April 14 and had a participation rate of 82-point-two percent.