KIMBERLY HEFLING, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer students say they are being bullied at school. Those who are bullied are more likely to be girls than boys and more likely to be white than minority students.

The Education Department says survey results find that 22 percent of students age 12 to 18 say they were bullied in 2013. That’s down 6 percentage points from two years earlier. It’s also the lowest level since the National Center for Education Statistics began surveying students on bullying in 2005.

Bullying has spread from school hallways and bathrooms to social media, raising awareness in recent years of what was once largely an underground issue. The focus has resulted in an aggressive effort to tackle bullying from local school officials on up to the federal government.