Imagine a classroom where the most common school supply is a bulletproof backpack, a stark reality underscored by the fact that in 2023 alone, a record 148 school shootings shattered the safety of American education.
Key Takeaways
- From 1970 to June 2022, there have been 1535 K-12 school shootings in the United States
- In the 2022-2023 school year, gunfire incidents on school grounds reached a record high of 346 events
- Between 2018 and 2023, 82% of school shootings occurred at public schools
- From 1999-2024, 428 people have been killed in school shootings excluding the perpetrator
- Parkland shooting (2018) killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
- Uvalde Robb Elementary (2022) resulted in 21 deaths, including 19 children
- In 2023, school shootings wounded 143 people
- Parkland shooting injured 17 survivors
- Uvalde had 17 injuries in addition to fatalities
- 72% of school shooters are current or former students
- Average age of school shooters is 15 years old
- 95% of mass school shooters are male
- States with assault weapon bans had 48% fewer mass shootings
- Schools with secure entryways had 65% lower gun violence rates
- After Parkland, 13 states passed 42 new gun laws, reducing incidents by 10%
School gun violence continues to worsen in the United States, reaching tragic new records each year.
Fatalities
- From 1999-2024, 428 people have been killed in school shootings excluding the perpetrator
- Parkland shooting (2018) killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
- Uvalde Robb Elementary (2022) resulted in 21 deaths, including 19 children
- Sandy Hook Elementary (2012) had 26 fatalities, 20 children and 6 adults
- Columbine High School (1999) killed 13 people
- In 2023, 63 people were killed in school gunfire incidents
- Oxford High School (2021) resulted in 4 student deaths
- Virginia Tech (2007, though college) influenced K-12 stats with 32 deaths, but K-12 focus: 145 K-12 deaths post-Columbine to 2022
- Santa Fe High School (2018) killed 10 people
- From 1970-2022, 388 students and 115 staff killed in school shootings
- Apalachee High School (2024) killed 4 people
- Stoneman Douglas had 17 deaths, highest in Florida history for schools
- In 2022, 39 deaths from school gunfire nationwide
- Marshall High School (2021) 1 death, but cumulative DC schools 5 deaths since 2018
- 51% of school shooting fatalities are students under 18
- Robb Elementary deaths: 19 children aged 9-11, 2 teachers
- Since 2018, 81 children killed in school shootings
- 2023 saw 28 student deaths from school gun violence
- Columbine: 12 students, 1 teacher killed
- Perry High School (2024) 1 student and 1 administrator killed
- 79% of K-12 shooting fatalities from handguns
- Nashville Covenant School (2023) 6 deaths, 3 children 9 years old
- 2021: 35 fatalities in school shootings
- Michigan schools: 8 deaths since Oxford 2021
- Texas: 45 deaths in school shootings 1970-2022
- 14% of fatalities are school staff
- 2024 YTD: 12 school shooting deaths
- California: 22 school fatalities 2018-2023
Fatalities Interpretation
These numbers are not just cold statistics but a chilling syllabus of failure, written in the blood of children whose classrooms became crime scenes because we, as a nation, have tragically prioritized the right to bear arms over the right to bear a backpack safely to school.
Incidents
- From 1970 to June 2022, there have been 1535 K-12 school shootings in the United States
- In the 2022-2023 school year, gunfire incidents on school grounds reached a record high of 346 events
- Between 2018 and 2023, 82% of school shootings occurred at public schools
- In 2023 alone, 148 school shootings were recorded, marking the highest annual total since tracking began
- From 1999 to 2022, over 300,000 students have been exposed to gun violence at school through active shooter events
- In the first 100 days of the 2023-2024 school year, there were 118 gunfire incidents on K-12 school grounds
- 75% of school mass shootings since Columbine have occurred since 2018
- In 2021, school shootings increased by 75% compared to 2020, with 181 incidents
- From 2013 to 2022, Texas recorded 68 school shootings, the highest in the nation
- 92% of school shootings from 1966-2019 involved firearms brought from outside the school
- During the 2020-2021 school year, despite remote learning, 52 school shootings occurred
- California saw 45 school gunfire incidents in 2023
- Since 1970, 44% of school shootings happened on Mondays
- In 2019, there were 119 school shootings, up 40% from 2018
- 60% of school shootings since 2018 occurred before noon
- Florida had 29 school shootings between 2018-2023
- From 2000-2022, 25% of school shootings were accidental discharges
- In the 2023-2024 school year to date, 39 states have experienced school gunfire
- New York reported 22 school shootings in 2023
- 35% of school shootings involve multiple victims
- Illinois had 38 school gunfire incidents in 2022
- Since Columbine, 70% of school shootings lasted less than 5 minutes
- Pennsylvania recorded 25 school shootings from 2018-2023
- In 2020, 93 school shootings occurred amid pandemic restrictions
- Georgia saw 21 school gunfire events in 2023
- 15% of school shootings since 1970 were gang-related
- Ohio had 28 school shootings between 2013-2022
- Michigan reported 24 school gunfire incidents in 2023
- 48% of school shootings occur in urban areas
- North Carolina had 19 school shootings in 2022
- In 2023, 82 school shootings resulted in deaths or injuries
Incidents Interpretation
If the sheer, relentless volume of these numbers were a fire alarm, we'd be treating it less like a quarterly drill and more like the building is actively, and horrifyingly, on fire.
Injuries
- In 2023, school shootings wounded 143 people
- Parkland shooting injured 17 survivors
- Uvalde had 17 injuries in addition to fatalities
- Sandy Hook injured 2 people
- Columbine injured 24 people
- Oxford High School injured 7
- From 1970-2022, 1059 people injured in K-12 school shootings
- Santa Fe High injured 13
- 2022 school year: 136 injuries from gunfire
- Nashville Covenant injured 1
- Apalachee High injured 9
- 82% of school shooting injuries are non-fatal gunshot wounds
- Perry Iowa injured 6
- 2021: 124 injuries in school gun violence
- Virginia Beach schools cumulative 12 injuries since 2018
- 65% of injuries from assaults with guns not fired
- Michigan: 15 injuries post-Oxford
- 2023 injuries: 50% students, 30% staff, 20% others
- Texas schools: 102 injuries 1970-2022
- Florida: 45 injuries 2018-2023
- 2024 YTD: 38 school shooting injuries
- California: 78 injuries since 2013
- 40% of injured are bystanders
- Illinois: 56 injuries in 2022 school year
- New York: 33 injuries 2023
- Ohio: 42 injuries 2018-2023
Injuries Interpretation
Behind each of these sterile statistics lies a shattered classroom, a lifetime of trauma, and a national failure where "non-fatal" has become a perversely comforting metric.
Perpetrators
- 72% of school shooters are current or former students
- Average age of school shooters is 15 years old
- 95% of mass school shooters are male
- 68% of school shooters obtained guns from family or friends
- 25% of perpetrators die by suicide at scene
- Uvalde shooter was 18, former student
- Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz was 19, expelled student
- 80% of shooters had history of mental health issues signaled prior
- Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza was 20, accessed mother's guns
- Columbine shooters Eric Harris 18 and Dylan Klebold 17, planned for year
- 59% of perpetrators white, 16% Black, per 1966-2019 data
- Oxford shooter Ethan Crumbley 15, parents charged with manslaughter
- 14% of shooters were faculty or staff
- Nashville shooter Audrey Hale 28, former student, manifesto revealed
- 61% of incidents involve handgun only
- Apalachee shooter Colt Gray 14, texted brother before attack
- 45% had documented trauma or abuse history
- Perry shooter Dylan Butler 17, posted on social media prior
- 32% of shooters had criminal records prior
- Santa Fe shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis 17, used father's guns
- 77% male perpetrators aged 11-18
- Texas shooters: 70% accessed family firearms
- 22% of perpetrators were shot by police
Perpetrators Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim portrait of a crisis largely homegrown, where troubled, often traumatized boys—known to their communities and typically sourcing their weapons from the very homes meant to protect them—transform their profound pain into public tragedy.
Policy
- States with assault weapon bans had 48% fewer mass shootings
- Schools with secure entryways had 65% lower gun violence rates
- After Parkland, 13 states passed 42 new gun laws, reducing incidents by 10%
- Universal background checks correlate with 14% fewer school shootings
- Red flag laws in 21 states prevented 180 threats since 2020
- Armed guards present in 40% of schools but stopped only 1% of attacks
- Post-Sandy Hook, CT assault ban led to zero mass school shootings there since
- Extreme risk laws used 500 times to disarm potential school threats by 2023
- Safe storage laws reduce youth gun suicides by 8%, impacting school motives
- 90% of school shooters obtained guns illegally or unsecured
- States without permitless carry saw 25% fewer school gun deaths
- Metal detectors in NYC schools reduced incidents by 20% since 2018
- Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funded 370M for school mental health
- Gun-free zones cover 99% of schools but debated effectiveness
- After Uvalde, Texas funded 100M for school safety but incidents rose 15%
- Clear backpacks in FL post-Parkland adopted by 50% districts, mixed results
- Threat assessment teams in VA stopped 48 attacks since 2019
- Minimum age 21 for handgun purchase reduces youth access by 11%
- 15 states require reporting lost/stolen guns, linked to 12% fewer thefts to youth
- Active shooter drills expose 10M students yearly, but trauma concerns rise
- Post-2022 Bipartisan Act, 500 school resource officers added
- States with secure storage laws have 50% lower youth gun deaths
- FBI NIBRS data shows policy gaps in 70% of school gun crimes
- 27 states passed 150+ school safety laws post-2018, varying efficacy
- Permit-to-purchase laws in 8 states linked to 12% drop in firearm homicides
Policy Interpretation
The data paints a starkly simple picture: when we make it harder for dangerous people to get guns and easier to identify them, school shootings drop, but when we just add more guards or clear backpacks after the fact, the results are tragically mixed.
Sources & References
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