Building More Trust in School Threat Reporting

Melissa Kay Diliberti, Pauline Moore, Brian A. Jackson

ResearchPublished Sep 24, 2025

A group of middle school girls stand near a bus lookling at their phones. A group of boys is in the background closer to the bus. Photo by Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

Photo by Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

K–12 schools across the country face a steady stream of safety threats; some are credible, but many are hoaxes meant to cause disruption for disruption's sake.⁠[1] Recent years have seen a rise in both the number and visibility of these threats, fueled in part by the widespread use of social media by youth, the rapid spread of information online, and the potential for copycat threats following high-profile mass shootings at schools.⁠[2]

For schools, the ability to identify and respond to potential dangers hinges on timely reporting from those who are most likely to notice early warning signs: most often, students. But how confident can we be that threats are actually being reported—and do students and educators see this issue the same way?

New survey data gathered from the RAND Survey Panels reveal a striking gap between the perceptions of school leaders and the experiences of youth when it comes to reporting threats in order to ensure school safety.⁠[3] In this report, we summarize what we learned from both educators and school-age youth about their confidence in threat reporting.

Virtually All Principals Are Confident That Students Will Report Threats

We asked a nationally representative sample of principals in October 2024 how confident they were that a student or other member of the school community would report a possible threat against the school if they became aware of one.

Principals were overwhelmingly confident that threats get reported. In fact, 64 percent of principals were very confident that threats would be reported, and 35 percent were somewhat confident (see Figure 1). Only 1 percent were not confident that threats would be reported. We observed this same pattern across school settings, whether the schools were urban or rural, high poverty or low poverty, and elementary or secondary.

Figure 1. Principals' Confidence That Threats Will Be Reported to the School or Appropriate Authorities

A pie graph that shows the confidence levels of surveyed principals on whether threats will be reported
  • Very confident = 64%
  • Somewhat confident = 35%
  • Not confident = 1%

NOTE: This figure depicts response data from the following survey question administered to school principals using the RAND American School Leader Panel in October 2024: "If a student or member of the school community became aware of a possible threat to your school, how confident are you they would report it to the school or appropriate authorities?" (n = 961).

Teachers Also Are Overwhelmingly Confident That Threats Will Be Reported but Recognize Some of the Barriers Students May Face in Reporting

Teachers' responses mirrored those from principals. In a survey we conducted in 2022, teachers overwhelmingly reported being confident that students or school staff would report threats if they became aware of them: 77 percent of teachers responded that they were confident or very confident that threats are reported if students or staff hear about them.⁠[4]

That said, many teachers also acknowledged what they see as persistent barriers to reporting; teachers considered fear about negative consequences to be the most common barrier to students reporting safety-related concerns, and almost half (48 percent) pointed to students' inability to recognize reportable behavior as another barrier.⁠[5]

Only One in Ten Youth Think Threats Often Get Reported

Students, however, are much more skeptical about threats being reported at school. In February 2025, we asked a nationally representative sample of youth ages 12 to 21 how often they think students report potential safety threats that they see or hear about at their school. (This question was asked of only those youth enrolled in K–12 schools, regardless of their age.) Only 11 percent said that they and their peers report all or most of the threats they see or hear about, and 31 percent said that some threats are reported (see Figure 2). Conversely, more than one-quarter of surveyed youth (27 percent) said that students rarely report threats (the remaining 31 percent of surveyed students were not sure).

We observed some small differences across grade levels: youth enrolled in grades 5 through 8 (roughly corresponding to middle school) were particularly likely to be unsure how often threats get reported.

Figure 2. Youths' Perceptions About Threat Reporting at School, by Grade Level

A bar graph that compares middle school youth to high school youth on the topic of threat reporting
Grade level Often. Kids report most or all of the threats they see or hear. Sometimes. Kids report some of the threats they see or hear. Rarely. Kids almost never report the threats they see or hear Unsure
Middle school grade (5-8) youth12272437
High school grade (9-12) youth10352925

NOTE: This figure depicts response data from the following survey question administered to youth ages 12 to 21 using the RAND American Youth Panel in February 2025: "How often do students report potential safety threats they see or hear to an adult at your school?" (n = 1,250). The figure includes only respondents who said they were enrolled in K–12 schools. K–12 students in public and private schools received this question, whereas those in "other" schools did not. K–12 students who said they were homeschooled received this question only if they took classes with students outside their family and if classes were in person or both online and in person.

Youth Are Uncertain About What They Should Report

We asked youth who said that students would only sometimes or rarely report threats (or were uncertain about the frequency) what they saw as the main barrier to reporting; their answers were concerning. The top reason for underreporting, selected by 40 percent of youth, was that students just do not know what to report (see Figure 3). Specifically, they responded that they were often unsure whether a threat was serious enough to warrant reporting. This uncertainty makes sense in light of the high number of threats they may see on a regular basis across various social media platforms, either as part of a series of social media–based pranks or in the aftermath of actual mass shootings at schools.⁠[6] Faced with a steady stream of threats appearing on their social media feeds, students may simply not know whether each one is worth bringing to their school's attention.

One-quarter of students also responded that they only sometimes or rarely report threats because they fear being labeled a "snitch" or getting others in trouble.⁠[7] For youth trying to fit in to a particular social environment, reporting what they see as threatening behavior to school staff can be viewed negatively by peers and have significant social repercussions. The stigma around reporting, in other words, is alive and well among today's youth and could be affecting the ability of schools to identify and respond to safety-related concerns before tragedy strikes. This concern about snitching seems particularly pronounced among Black youth and younger youth (those ages 12 to 14) included in our survey, who expressed heightened concerns about remaining anonymous when reporting potential threats.

Figure 3. Youths' Perceptions of the Main Reason That Students Do Not Report Potential Threats

A bar graph that charts the reasons for not reporting threats
  • They don't know if the threat is serious enough to report = 40%
  • They don't want to get anyone in trouble = 25%
  • They lack trust that they will remain anonymous = 17%
  • They lack trust that the school will do anything = 12%
  • They don't know how to report = 6%

NOTE: This figure depicts response data from the following survey question administered to youth ages 12 to 21 using the RAND American Youth Panel in February 2025: "What do you think is main reason kids don't report a potential threat at your school?" (n = 1,102). The figure includes only respondents who said they were enrolled in K–12 schools. K–12 students in public and private schools received this question, whereas those in "other" schools did not. K–12 students who said they were homeschooled received this question only if they took classes with students outside their family and if classes were in person or both online and in person. The figure includes only those who said students report threats sometimes or rarely or were uncertain about the frequency.

Turning Skepticism into Action: Building More Trust in School Threat Reporting

The gap between educators' confidence in threat reporting and students' skepticism underscores a critical disconnect. Although principals and teachers trust that members of their communities will step forward to report safety concerns, many youth remain unsure about what constitutes a reportable threat. It is clear that many students also fear the social repercussions of speaking out.

The sheer volume of threats that schools face and the pervasiveness of social media use among youth compound these uncertainties. Indeed, sorting out what is serious from what is not has become increasingly complicated for schools, let alone students. This challenge leaves communities at risk of missing critical warning signs.

Bridging this divide requires schools to (1) prioritize clear communication about what should be reported, (2) foster a culture of trust while providing anonymous reporting options, and (3) actively counter the stigma associated with reporting.⁠[8] By aligning perceptions and empowering students to navigate this noisy environment, schools can strengthen their safety systems and ensure that no credible threat goes unnoticed.

Acknowledgments

We are extremely grateful to the educators who have agreed to participate in the panels. Their time and willingness to share their experiences are invaluable for this effort and for helping us understand how to better support their hard work in schools. We thank Lisa Wagner, Brian Kim, and Sarah Ohls for assisting with survey management; Ruolin Lu and Julie Newell for data management; and Tim R. Colvin, Roberto Guevara, and Julie Newell for programming the survey. Thanks also go to Dorothy Seaman and Joshua Eagan for producing the sampling and weighting for these analyses. We greatly appreciate the administrative support provided by Tina Petrossian and American Educator Panel and American Youth Panel management provided by David Grant and Robert Bozick, respectively. We also thank Meagan E. Cahill and Aaron C. Davenport for their review and feedback, which helped improve our work. Finally, we are grateful for Cindy Lyons' efforts in overseeing the publication of this report.

Notes

  1. Pauline Moore, Brian A. Jackson, Jennifer T. Leschitz, Nazia Wolters, Thomas Edward Goode, Melissa Kay Diliberti, and Phoebe Felicia Pham, Developing Practical Responses to Social Media Threats Against K–12 Schools: An Overview of Trends, Challenges, and Current Approaches, Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center operated by the RAND Corporation, RR-A1077-5, 2024, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1077-5.html. Return to content ⤴
  2. Michelle Faverio and Olivia Sidoti, Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024, Pew Research Center, December 2024, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/; Marlene Lenthang, "Police Grapple with Threats Against Schools After Georgia Shooting Tragedy," NBC News, September 6, 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-grapple-threats-schools-georgia-shooting-tragedy-rcna169898. Return to content ⤴
  3. RAND Corporation, "RAND Survey Panels," webpage, undated, https://www.rand.org/education-employment-infrastructure/survey-panels.html. The RAND Survey Panels include the American Educator Panels (AEP), which are nationally representative samples of teachers, school leaders, and district leaders across the United States. The AEP are a proud member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research's Transparency Initiative. Return to content ⤴
  4. Brian A. Jackson, Melissa Kay Diliberti, Pauline Moore, and Heather L. Schwartz, Teachers' Views on School Safety: Consensus on Many Security Measures, but Stark Division About Arming Teachers, RAND Corporation, RR-A2641-1, 2023, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2641-1.html. Return to content ⤴
  5. Brian A. Jackson, Melissa Kay Diliberti, Pauline Moore, and Heather L. Schwartz, Teachers' Views on School Safety: Consensus on Many Security Measures, but Stark Division About Arming Teachers, RAND Corporation, RR-A2641-1, 2023, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2641-1.html. Return to content ⤴
  6. Hayden Sherry, "School-Based Social Media Threats Rising, Officials Advise That Many Are 'Pranks,'" ABC27, October 8, 2024, https://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/school-based-social-media-threats-rising-officals-advise-that-many-are-pranks/; Amy Rock, "School Shooting Threats Continue to Skyrocket on Social Media After Apalachee Shooting," Campus Safety, September 30, 2024, https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/news/school-shooting-threats-skyrocket-on-social-media-after-apalachee-shooting/161787/. Return to content ⤴
  7. Wade Buckland and Ryan Streeter, "5 Ways Schools Can Encourage Students to Report Threats," Campus Safety, September 19, 2024, https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/news/5-ways-schools-can-encourage-students-to-report-threats/123951/. Return to content ⤴
  8. Pauline Moore, Jennifer T. Leschitz, Brian A. Jackson, Catherine H. Augustine, Andrea Phillips, and Elizabeth D. Steiner, Supporting Threat Reporting to Strengthen School Safety: Findings from the Literature and Interviews with Stakeholders Across the K–12 School Community, Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center operated by the RAND Corporation, RR-A1077-3, 2022, https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1077-3.html. Return to content ⤴

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Diliberti, Melissa Kay, Pauline Moore, and Brian A. Jackson, Building More Trust in School Threat Reporting. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3930-4.html.
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