Bullying in Schools: Wyoming Statistics

While some argue that bullying is a “right of passage” for school, plenty of others argue that it’s a problem that needs to be dealt with. 

The National Institute of Health said in a 2020 study that, “Bullying is a serious public health issue among children and adolescents in the United States,” and noted that the prevalence of bullying victimization of children in Wyoming is 35.9%. 

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Another study, done by WalletHub places Wyoming in the 10th spot on the list for states with the worst bullying problems. The study compared data from 47 states and the District of Columbia using 20 key metrics: 

Bullying Prevalence & Prevention in Wyoming (1=Biggest, 24=Avg.):

• Overall rank for Wyoming: 10th
• 2nd – % of High School Students Bullied on School Property
• 12th – % of High School Students Bullied Online
• 28th – % of High School Students Involved in Physical Fight at School
• 10th – Student-to-Counselor Ratio
• 9th – State Anti-Bullying Laws & Policies
• 2nd – State Anti-Cyberbullying Laws Requiring School Policy

In the journal Psychological Science,  research examined the long-term effects of childhood bullying. Victims and even some who did the bullying (bully-victims) were shown to have negative lasting impacts, even after the study factored in family hardship and childhood psychiatric disorders:

“...an increased risk of poor health, wealth, and social-relationship outcomes in adulthood… 

“Being bullied is not a harmless rite of passage but throws a long shadow over affected people’s lives. Interventions in childhood are likely to reduce long-term health and social costs.”

Wyoming law states that every school district needs to have an anti-bullying policy. Earlier this year, the Senate advanced a bill (SF49) amending bullying policies to extend prohibiting bullying “at a minimum,” including adults and district employees to be held accountable, and required investigation for anonymous reports, but it ultimately failed.