Growing problem: NJ schools that made most calls to police

🚨 Analysis shows calls to police from NJ schools are increasing

🚨 Weapons, drugs are driving the jump

🚨 Scroll down to see the 30 most problematic schools

From violence to drug use, students are giving New Jersey schools more reasons than ever before to call 911.

NJ school calls to police: By the numbers

New Jersey schools had 9,637 total incidents requiring police attention in the 2022-2023 school year, according to a New Jersey 101.5 analysis of data released by the state Department of Education last month. That's the most recent data available.

That's a sharp increase of more than 23% when compared to the last full school year before the pandemic. There were 7,799 reported incidents in the 2018-2019 school year, according to state data.

Why are police called to NJ schools?

Schools tally a police notification for each time a student is reported to police and school resource officers for an incident on school grounds. Each incident is categorized by whether it involved violence, weapons, vandalism, drugs or bullying.

Results can range from citations and tickets to court referrals and actually placing students in handcuffs.

Major increases in weapons, drug use at NJ schools

The number of violent incidents increased but not by much compared to other categories. There were 2,743 violent incidents in the 2022-2023 school year compared to 2,594 prior to the pandemic.

Major increases appeared in incidents involving weapons (from 617 up to 940), substances (from 2,528 up to 3,623), and harassment and bullying (from 716 up to 986).

New Jersey 101.5 compiled a list of the 30 schools that stand out for having made the most calls to police.

They're scattered around the state. Middlesex County had the most schools on the list with five while Camden, Cumberland, and Union counties tied for silver with three each.

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