While the numbers themselves are staggering—hundreds of shootings and thousands of victims—they represent a crisis that has, for generations, touched every corner of the American classroom.
Key Takeaways
- Between 1966 and 2023, there were 1,375 K-12 school shootings in the United States resulting in at least one injury or death
- In 2023 alone, the Gun Violence Archive recorded 82 incidents classified as school shootings at K-12 institutions
- From 1999 to 2024, The Washington Post identified 428 school shootings on K-12 campuses involving gunfire
- Since 2018, Everytown tracked over 500 incidents of gunfire on school grounds
- From 1999-2024, Washington Post reports 216 students killed in K-12 school shootings
- In 2023, 39 people were killed in school shootings per GVA data
- GVA reports 1,200 injuries from school shootings since 2014 through 2023
- Washington Post: 481 people injured in K-12 school shootings 1999-2024
- Everytown: 647 injuries in school gun violence incidents since 2018
- 94% of school shooters are male according to K12SSD 1970-2023
- Average age of K-12 school shooters is 15 years per K12SSD
- 68% of school shooters are current students per Washington Post 1999-2024
- 65% of incidents at high schools per K12SSD
- 48% of victims in elementary schools per Washington Post 1999-2024
- Everytown: 62% of school gun violence victims are students under 18
Decades of school shooting statistics reveal an ongoing American tragedy.
Fatalities and Deaths
1Since 2018, Everytown tracked over 500 incidents of gunfire on school grounds
Verified2From 1999-2024, Washington Post reports 216 students killed in K-12 school shootings
Verified3In 2023, 39 people were killed in school shootings per GVA data
Verified4K12SSD records 731 fatalities from K-12 school shootings 1970-2023
Directional5CDC reports 851 school-associated homicides from July 1999-June 2019
Single source6Everytown notes 228 K-12 students and staff killed in school shootings since 2018
Verified7Washington Post: 51 deaths in 2022 school shootings
Verified8Uvalde Robb Elementary shooting killed 21 on May 24, 2022
Verified9Parkland Marjory Stoneman Douglas killed 17 on Feb 14, 2018
Directional10Sandy Hook Elementary killed 26 on Dec 14, 2012
Single source11Oxford High School Michigan killed 4 on Nov 30, 2021
Verified12From 1966-2023, 172 K-12 students died in intentional school shootings per K12SSD
Verified13GVA 2023: 28 children killed in school shootings
Verified14FBI data: 94 deaths in 25 educational active shooter events 2000-2013
Directional15Education Week: 33 deaths in school shootings through 2024
Single source16The Violence Project: 140 fatalities in school mass shootings since 1966
Verified17Mother Jones: 118 deaths in school/college mass shootings 1982-2023
Verified18RAND: 231 deaths in school shootings with 4+ victims 1966-2019
Verified19USA Today: 300+ deaths since Sandy Hook through 2023
Directional20In Texas, 112 fatalities from school shootings 1970-2023 per K12SSD
Single source21California school shootings caused 98 deaths 1970-2023 via K12SSD
Verified22GVA 2022: 27 fatalities in school shootings
Verified23Columbine High School killed 13 on April 20, 1999
Verified24Virginia Tech (college) killed 32 on April 16, 2007
Directional25Santa Fe High School Texas killed 10 on May 18, 2018
Single source26Nashville Covenant School killed 6 on March 27, 2023
Verified27Perry Iowa High School killed 2 on Jan 4, 2024
Verified28GVA 2021: 22 deaths in school shootings
Verified29Everytown 2020: 24 K-12 deaths from school gun violence
Directional30From July 2021-June 2022, CDC recorded 29 school-associated homicides
Single source31Washington Post 2023: 35 deaths in K-12 shootings
Verified32K12SSD: 94 staff killed in K-12 shootings 1970-2023
VerifiedFatalities and Deaths Interpretation
While the varying statistics on school shootings all paint different parts of the same horrifying picture, the relentless, overlapping toll of these numbers reveals a national failure we keep measuring instead of solving.
Frequency and Incidence
1Between 1966 and 2023, there were 1,375 K-12 school shootings in the United States resulting in at least one injury or death
Verified2In 2023 alone, the Gun Violence Archive recorded 82 incidents classified as school shootings at K-12 institutions
Verified3From 1999 to 2024, The Washington Post identified 428 school shootings on K-12 campuses involving gunfire
Verified4Education Week reported 39 K-12 school shootings with injuries or deaths in the first half of 2024 up to June
Directional5Everytown Research documented 345 school shootings from 2018 to 2023 where guns were fired on school grounds
Single source6The FBI's active shooter reports show 25 incidents at educational institutions from 2000 to 2013
Verified7CNN's school shooting database lists 437 incidents since Columbine in 1999 through 2024
Verified8From 1970 to 2022, 1,377 school attacks by minors occurred in the US per the K12 School Shooting Database
Verified9In 2022, there were 46 school shootings tracked by the Gun Violence Archive
Directional10Mother Jones database records 144 mass shootings at schools or colleges from 1982 to 2023
Single source11Stanford Geospatial Center's analysis found 233 school shootings from 1966 to 2015
Verified12USA Today tracked 1,400 school shootings since Sandy Hook in 2012 through 2023
Verified13From 2013 to 2021, the CDC noted 243 school-associated violent deaths
Verified14Everytown reported 84 school shootings in 2021
Directional15In Texas from 1970-2022, 48 K-12 school shootings occurred per K12SSD
Single source16California saw 62 school shootings from 1970-2022 according to K12SSD
Verified17New York had 28 K-12 school shootings from 1970-2022 per K12SSD
Verified18Florida recorded 39 school shootings from 1970-2022 via K12SSD
Verified19GVA reported 82 preschool to college shootings in 2023
Directional20From 1999-2023, Washington Post tallied 380 K-12 school shootings
Single source21Education Week counted 33 school shootings in 2024 through October
Verified22The Violence Project database logs 25 public mass shootings at schools since 1966
Verified23RAND Corporation study found 81 school shootings with 4+ victims from 1966-2019
Verified24GVA 2020 data shows 93 school shootings
Directional25In 2019, GVA recorded 82 school shootings
Single source26Pennsylvania had 22 K-12 school shootings 1970-2022 per K12SSD
Verified27Ohio logged 25 school shootings 1970-2022 via K12SSD
Verified28Illinois saw 31 school shootings 1970-2022 according to K12SSD
Verified29Michigan recorded 24 school shootings 1970-2022 per K12SSD
Directional30GVA 2024 year-to-date has 38 school shootings as of October
Single sourceFrequency and Incidence Interpretation
The statistics present a grim, multifaceted ledger of American violence, where the only subject being consistently and tragically taught to our children is the arithmetic of their own vulnerability.
Injuries
1GVA reports 1,200 injuries from school shootings since 2014 through 2023
Verified2Washington Post: 481 people injured in K-12 school shootings 1999-2024
Verified3Everytown: 647 injuries in school gun violence incidents since 2018
Verified4K12SSD logs 2,057 injuries from K-12 school shootings 1970-2023
Directional5In 2023, GVA recorded 179 injuries from 82 school shootings
Single source6Education Week: 82 injuries in school shootings through 2024
Verified7FBI active shooter incidents 2000-2013 at schools caused 141 injuries
Verified8Uvalde shooting injured 17 on May 24, 2022
Verified9Parkland injured 17 on Feb 14, 2018
Directional10Oxford High injured 7 on Nov 30, 2021
Single source11GVA 2022: 138 injuries in school shootings
Verified12CDC: 1,370 school-associated nonfatal injuries from 1999-2019
Verified13The Violence Project: 200+ injuries in school mass shootings since 1966
Verified14Mother Jones: 140 injuries in school mass shootings 1982-2023
Directional15RAND: 500+ injuries in qualifying school shootings 1966-2019
Single source16USA Today: 1,000+ injuries since Sandy Hook through 2023
Verified17In California, 256 injuries from school shootings 1970-2023 per K12SSD
Verified18Texas school shootings injured 198 people 1970-2023 via K12SSD
Verified19Santa Fe High injured 13 on May 18, 2018
Directional20Nashville Covenant injured 1 on March 27, 2023
Single source21Perry Iowa injured 6 on Jan 4, 2024
Verified22GVA 2021: 145 injuries in school shootings
Verified23Everytown 2020: 370 injuries from school gun violence
Verified24Columbine injured 24 on April 20, 1999
Directional25GVA 2024 YTD: 72 injuries as of October
Single source26Washington Post 2023: 120 injuries in K-12 shootings
Verified27K12SSD: 1,456 student injuries in K-12 shootings 1970-2023
VerifiedInjuries Interpretation
Any attempt to reconcile these varied and horrifying tallies feels like a macabre debate over how to count the cracks in a shattered system, where the only clear number is that we have far too many wounded children to still be arguing about definitions.
Perpetrator Characteristics
194% of school shooters are male according to K12SSD 1970-2023
Verified2Average age of K-12 school shooters is 15 years per K12SSD
Verified368% of school shooters are current students per Washington Post 1999-2024
Verified4Everytown: 80% of mass shooters at schools obtained guns from family
Directional5The Violence Project: 82% of school mass shooters experienced suicidal ideation
Single source6FBI: 71% of active school shooters male under 18 from 2000-2013
Verified7K12SSD: 51% of shooters used handguns exclusively 1970-2023
Verified8Mother Jones: 100% of school mass shooters male in their database
Verified9GVA: Most school shooters are teens aged 14-17
Directional10Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz was 19, former student
Single source11Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos was 18
Verified12Oxford shooter Ethan Crumbley was 15, current student
Verified1325% of school shooters had documented mental health issues per FBI
Verified14RAND: 59% of school shooters white, 16% Black 1966-2019
Directional15K12SSD: 12% of shooters female 1970-2023
Single source16Santa Fe shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis was 17
Verified17Nashville shooter Audrey Hale was 28, former student
Verified18Columbine shooters Eric Harris 18 and Dylan Klebold 17
Verified1962% of shooters acted alone per K12SSD
Directional20Everytown: Shooters often posted warnings online beforehand
Single source21The Violence Project: 77% leaked plans to others
Verified22Perry Iowa shooter Dylan Butler was 17
Verified2340% used semiautomatic rifles per Washington Post
Verified24FBI: Many had histories of bullying or isolation
Directional25K12SSD: 28% of shooters Hispanic/Latino 1970-2023
Single source26GVA 2023: Average shooter age 16.2 years
VerifiedPerpetrator Characteristics Interpretation
If the staggering convergence of teenage male angst, easy home gun access, and public cries for help were a perfect storm, then American schools are its recurring, devastating ground zero.
School and Victim Demographics
165% of incidents at high schools per K12SSD
Verified248% of victims in elementary schools per Washington Post 1999-2024
Verified3Everytown: 62% of school gun violence victims are students under 18
Verified4K12SSD: 67% of fatalities are students 1970-2023
Directional5GVA: 55% of 2023 school shooting victims female
Single source6Education Week: Most 2024 shootings at high schools (60%)
Verified7FBI: 70% of school active shooter victims students
Verified8Uvalde: 19 children, 2 teachers killed, all elementary
Verified9Parkland: 14 students, 3 staff killed, high school
Directional10Oxford: 3 students, 1 staff killed, high school
Single source11Sandy Hook: 20 children, 6 adults, elementary
Verified1245% of victims white, 25% Hispanic per K12SSD
Verified1358% of school shootings occur on weekdays per GVA
Verified14RAND: Urban schools 40% of incidents, rural 20%
Directional15USA Today: 70% victims students since Sandy Hook
Single source16Nashville: 3 children, 3 adults killed, private elementary
Verified17Perry Iowa: 1 student, 1 staff killed, high school
Verified1835% during school hours 8am-3pm per Washington Post
Verified19K12SSD: Middle schools 20% of incidents 1970-2023
Directional20Everytown: Suburban schools host 45% of gun violence
Single source21Santa Fe: 8 students, 2 teachers killed, high school
Verified22Columbine: 12 students, 1 teacher killed, high school
Verified23GVA 2022: 60% victims under 18
Verified24CDC: 65% school homicides students 1999-2019
Directional25The Violence Project: Victims evenly split male/female in school cases
Single source2675% of incidents in public schools per K12SSD
VerifiedSchool and Victim Demographics Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of American school shootings reveals that while high schools host the majority of incidents, elementary schools—designed for innocence—have perfected the art of tragedy, proving that our youngest are not just collateral damage but preferred targets.
Sources & References
- Reference 1K12SSDk12ssd.dbVisit source
- Reference 2GUNVIOLENCEARCHIVEgunviolencearchive.orgVisit source
- Reference 3WASHINGTONPOSTwashingtonpost.comVisit source
- Reference 4EDWEEKedweek.orgVisit source
- Reference 5EVERYTOWNRESEARCHeverytownresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 6FBIfbi.govVisit source
- Reference 7CNNcnn.comVisit source
- Reference 8MOTHERJONESmotherjones.comVisit source
- Reference 9LIBRARYlibrary.stanford.eduVisit source
- Reference 10USATODAYusatoday.comVisit source
- Reference 11CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 12THEVIOLENCEPROJECTtheviolenceproject.orgVisit source
- Reference 13RANDrand.orgVisit source