CINCINNATI — Nearly one in four traffic crashes in Cincinnati over the past three years occurred within 1,000 feet of a school, according to new data presented Tuesday.
Those numbers are now launching an effort to update a transportation safety plan designed to protect students traveling to and from class.
The findings were presented during a joint meeting involving Cincinnati Public Schools, city officials and Hamilton County Juvenile Court leaders, who discussed public safety challenges affecting children both on city streets and in the juvenile justice system.
Between 2023 and 2025, Cincinnati recorded 35,474 crashes citywide. Of those, 8,563 — about 24% — occurred within 1,000 feet of a school, data shows.
The data also showed 307 pedestrian and bicycle crashes occurred near schools during that period, accounting for roughly one-third of all pedestrian and bicycle crashes citywide.
During school commute hours — between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. during the school year — 1,310 crashes occurred within 1,000 feet of schools.
WATCH: New data shows mixed picture for youth safety in Cincinnati
Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering Director Todd Long said speeding and distracted driving remain the primary concerns.
"The basic issue that we have here is speeding and distracted driving," Long said. "Quite frankly, the engineering controls, along with enforcement efforts, are the two pillars of traffic calming that are used to address speeding and distracted driving."
While Ohio law narrowly defines a school zone as the area directly adjacent to school property, Long said transportation officials expanded their analysis to include a 1,000-foot radius around schools to better capture where students are actually traveling.
"This was an attempt to address areas where vulnerable users would be coming to and from school," Long said.
Long said the pedestrian and bicycle crash data were largely consistent with expectations because schools naturally generate high concentrations of foot traffic.
Transportation officials also conducted speed studies near six schools and found widespread speeding during school-zone hours, particularly on higher-volume roadways.
"People are used to going near the speed limit around the schools," Long said. "They tend to forget and do it during school hours as well."
Although speeding was common, Long said most drivers were traveling within five miles per hour of the road's regular posted speed limit, and relatively few exceeded 40 mph.
To address those concerns, the city has installed a variety of traffic-calming measures, including upgraded school flashers, enhanced crosswalk markings, speed cushions, raised crosswalks and curb bump-outs.
Long said Cincinnati has completed more than 260 school-related traffic safety improvements over the past five years.
Safe Routes to School update
The crash data will help shape Cincinnati's updated Safe Routes to School plan, a state-supported initiative designed to improve how students walk, bike, ride transit or otherwise travel to school.
Scott Dean, active living coordinator for the Cincinnati Health Department, said the plan evaluates how students currently access schools and identifies infrastructure and policy changes that can improve safety.
"It's pretty much taking a look at what the landscape of the city is and how students are accessing schools," Dean said. "We want to make sure that the roads are safe for everyone to use."
The plan also serves as a gateway to state funding opportunities.
Dean said communities with approved Safe Routes to School plans can apply for Ohio Department of Transportation funding for infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks, bicycle facilities and traffic-calming projects. Additional funding is available for educational programs, walking school buses, bike buses and crossing guard initiatives.
The city's current Safe Routes to School plan was completed just before the COVID-19 pandemic and is nearing the end of its five-year eligibility period.
Without an updated plan, Cincinnati would lose access to future ODOT funding opportunities.
Dean noted that Cincinnati recently applied for funding for a Court Street project near Hayes-Porter School and Taft High School that could include protected bicycle lanes and additional traffic-calming measures.
Tiffany White, who serves as health manager for the Cincinnati Health Department's Healthy Communities Program, said planners are taking a different approach than the previous citywide plan, which stakeholders believed was too broad and resulted in diluted recommendations.
Instead, officials will focus on a smaller number of schools where investments can have the greatest impact.
Using crash data, injury severity data and household income information, city officials identified Cincinnati's western neighborhoods as an initial priority area.
The planning process will include extensive engagement with students, families, school administrators and community members.
"We want students to be involved in those working groups," White said. "We are moving intentionally with those groups and taking their thoughts into consideration when it comes to planning."
Officials plan to conduct student mapping exercises, walk audits, town halls and community meetings beginning this fall. One previous engagement effort at Roll Hill School asked students to draw maps of their routes to school and identify safety concerns they encountered along the way.
Dean said those firsthand experiences can help planners better understand barriers students face.
"We can take the students out and look at the built environment," he said. "What is happening that could possibly be improved upon?"
The goal is to complete community engagement by late fall and release a finalized Safe Routes to School plan in January 2027.
Cincinnati Public Schools board member Eve Bolton praised the city's data-driven approach and said she is optimistic that additional improvements can reduce crashes around schools.
"We have a long partnership with the city that started with Safe Routes to Schools," Bolton said. "The fact that they've been doing so many studies, and it's really data-driven, and based upon our particular school communities and recognizing changes that are taking place, it seems very organic, very contemporary. I feel as though we are going to be experiencing even greater improvement."
Bolton said she would like to see stronger consequences for traffic violations in school zones and believes city and school leaders should explore additional safety technology.
"I do think that we probably have to increase the severity of the punishment when there is an infraction in a school zone," she said. "I think it's possible that the school district and the city can probably do more work together regarding cameras."
While acknowledging concerns about increased surveillance, Bolton said student safety should remain the priority.
"For the safety of our kids and for the orderliness of the school zones themselves, and also as a preventive message and method, I think we might have to be looking into that," she said.
Bolton also pointed to safety concerns surrounding Metro bus stops used by students.
"Once we got rid of the special routes or the extra routes, then the whole focus of safety had to really shift not only to the school zones but also to the Metro routes," she said.
She said involving students in the planning process will be critical.
"They're not only the victims, but also they're great experts as to how we can improve things," Bolton said. "They are the ones that can help us the most."
Juvenile court highlights rehabilitation efforts, crime reductions
While transportation officials focused on safety outside school buildings, Hamilton County Juvenile Court Administrative Judge Kerri Bloom highlighted trends involving youth crime and intervention efforts inside the county's juvenile justice system.
Bloom said the safety and well-being of children remains a shared responsibility among schools, government agencies and community organizations.
"Safety is our number one priority," Bloom said. "Safety comes in lots of different ways. It can mean getting guns off the streets, it can mean keeping kids in safe homes, and it can mean addressing issues before they pop up and create danger."
In 2025, nearly 23,000 people interacted with Hamilton County Juvenile Court. Bloom said that while public attention often centers on criminal cases, approximately 79% of the court's filings involve non-delinquency matters such as custody disputes, truancy cases and abuse, neglect or dependency proceedings.
The court's role, she said, extends far beyond detention.
Children housed at the Youth Detention Center on Auburn Avenue receive education, behavioral health support, medical care, recreation opportunities and life-skills programming. Bloom highlighted partnerships with organizations, including the Cincinnati Zoo, which helps youth maintain gardens and learn about growing food.
The detention center also hosts graduation ceremonies for students who complete their diplomas while in custody through Cincinnati Public Schools programming.
"We truly embrace children as our own," Bloom said of detention center staff.
Bloom also highlighted the court's assessment center and diversion programs, which connect youth and families with community-based services before cases formally enter the court system whenever possible.
According to court data, more than 81% of youth assigned a service navigator through the assessment center did not receive a new adjudication within one year. Among youth charged with felonies, 74% avoided a new adjudication within a year, court data shows.
"We've expanded that to include those kids who are charged with felonies because we thought, why should we keep our success to misdemeanors?" Bloom said.
Bloom said the court routinely helps families access community resources and navigate challenges ranging from transportation issues to housing instability.
"We do not have enough support for parents and families as a society," she said. "You can always call the court, and we will always try to figure it out."
Violent juvenile crime trends downward
Court statistics presented Tuesday showed significant declines in several categories of serious juvenile crime compared with 2022.
Through the first five months of 2026, homicide charges were down 33%, dropping from 21 cases in 2022 to 14 cases this year. Assault charges fell 51%, from 199 cases to 98. Aggravated robbery charges declined 31%, while felonious assault charges also decreased.
Bloom attributed the improvements to a combination of factors, including restorative justice efforts in schools, expanded community programming, changes in law enforcement strategies and intervention efforts targeting adults who previously influenced vulnerable youth.
She also credited shifts within the juvenile court system itself, including a move away from punitive approaches and toward rehabilitation-focused programming.
"We have really changed in this county and in this city how we talk about kids," Bloom said. "When you tell a kid they're bad, they'll be bad. When you tell a kid they're good or they can be good, they'll at least think about it."
Bloom acknowledged concerns from some residents who question why juveniles accused of crimes are frequently released while awaiting court proceedings.
She said Ohio law generally requires children to be released unless specific risk factors justify detention and noted that research shows even brief detention can increase the likelihood of future incarceration while reducing educational attainment.
"It isn't supported by data or law," Bloom said of detaining youth simply to satisfy public expectations.
The court is also launching a "Summer of Discovery" initiative requiring youth who receive new charges to obtain a library card, visit a recreation center or YMCA and provide attendance and grade information.
The goal, Bloom said, is to connect families with resources and identify barriers before the next school year begins.
Bloom also addressed chronic absenteeism, describing it as a challenge that often reflects deeper problems facing families.
"I think it will always be a significant problem until we address the reasons kids don't go to school," she said. "It's not usually because they don't want to. It is almost always because there is a different obstacle that is in their place."
Court staff regularly help families obtain bus passes, furniture, housing assistance and other supports through truancy programs.
"If you're hungry and you're homeless, school is not at the top of the list," Bloom said.
Bolton said she believes the same collaborative approach driving improvements in juvenile crime statistics can also improve traffic safety around schools.
"They have before. It used to be even worse," Bolton said. "Work and cooperation and collaboration and involvement of the community and the city taking a strong stance, and the district taking a strong stance — these numbers will improve for the safety of our kids and our families and the schools themselves."
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