Bullying cases reported by elementary schools hit a record 122,721 in the 2014-2015 school year, up by 3,973 from a year earlier, according to an education ministry survey released Tuesday.

Combining elementary, junior high and high schools, the total number of bullying reports stood at 188,057 for the year to March, up 2,254 from the previous year, the ministry said.

The study found a dramatic rise in reports involving younger children. Compared with the 2010-2011 school year, the figure for elementary schools was 5.8 times higher for first-graders and 4.3 times higher for second-graders.