Unsafe schools can negatively impact students' wellbeing and educational success. This study focuses on one of the potential effects of unsafe schools, decreased standardized test scores. Research suggests that school climates that are positive and provide students with a place where they can feel insulated from neighborhood violence are associated with positive learning outcomes. It was found that students who attended such schools earned higher English language arts standardized test scores than did students who attended schools viewed as less safe or as having a relatively weak sense of community. It is likely that performance on the ACT® test is related, to some extent, to students' perceptions of safety at school. This study sought to quantify that relationship, with the goal of providing insights for schools, by surveying a large sample of high school students who took the ACT and asking them questions about the safety of their schools.