In a nation where classrooms should be sanctuaries for learning, the stark reality that gunfire has shattered the peace of our schools hundreds of times in recent years, leaving a devastating trail of young lives lost and communities forever scarred, compels us to confront this crisis with urgent honesty and unwavering resolve.
Key Takeaways
- In the 2022-2023 school year, there were 346 school shootings with injuries or deaths in K-12 schools across the US
- From 2018 to 2023, 82% of school shootings occurred on public school grounds
- In 2023 alone, 148 K-12 school shootings resulted in at least one injury or death
- From 1999-2022, 416 people died in K-12 school shootings
- In 2023, 48 people were killed in school shootings including perpetrators
- School shootings claimed 506 young lives from 2018-2023
- From 2018-2024, 380+ students injured in school shootings
- 2023 saw 729 people injured in school gun incidents
- Uvalde shooting injured 17 besides deaths
- 92% of school shooters were male
- Average age of K-12 school shooters 2018-2023 was 15 years
- 75% of school shooters obtained guns from family or friends
- Schools with metal detectors had 20% fewer shooter incidents
- States with universal background checks had 48% fewer school shooting deaths per capita
- Assault weapons bans correlated with 70% drop in mass school shootings
Alarming school shooting statistics reveal an urgent and escalating American crisis.
Deaths
- From 1999-2022, 416 people died in K-12 school shootings
- In 2023, 48 people were killed in school shootings including perpetrators
- School shootings claimed 506 young lives from 2018-2023
- Uvalde shooting killed 19 children and 2 teachers
- Parkland Marjory Stoneman Douglas killed 17 including 14 students
- Sandy Hook killed 20 children and 6 adults
- From 1970-2019, 316 students and staff died in school shootings
- In 2024 (through Oct), 139 killed or injured in school shootings, with at least 40 deaths
- Oxford MI (2021) killed 4 students
- Columbine killed 12 students and 1 teacher
- 81% of school shooting victims since 2018 were students
- In 2022, 28 students and staff killed in K-12 shootings
- Virginia Tech killed 27 students and 5 faculty
- From 2018-2023, 279 K-12 students killed by gunfire on school grounds
- Santa Fe High School (2018) killed 10
- 2023 saw 52 deaths from school gun violence
- Robb Elementary Uvalde killed 21 total
- From 1999-2019, 180 children died in school shootings
- Apalachee High School (2024) killed 4
- 94% of mass school shooters were current or former students
- In high schools, 2023 had 15 student deaths
- 65% of school shooting deaths involved handguns
- From 2013-2022, 170 fatalities in school gun violence
- Stoneman Douglas killed 17 total
- Elementary schools saw 12 deaths in 2023-24
- 2024 school year (to date) 54 deaths reported
- Since Columbine, 307 K-12 deaths in shootings
- In 2021, 19 school shooting deaths
- From 2000-2018, 85% of school shooting victims died from gunshots
- 2022 Uvalde: 21 deaths, highest single incident recently
- K-12 schools averaged 1.4 deaths per shooting 2018-2023
- From 2018-2023, 82 school shootings resulted in deaths
- In 2023, 39 K-12 deaths from school gun violence
- Perry Iowa (2024) killed 2 students
- 70% of school shooting deaths in states without assault weapon bans
- From Jan-Jun 2024, 24 school shooting deaths
- High-poverty schools had 2x death rate in shootings
- 2023 middle schools: 8 deaths
- Total K-12 gun deaths on campus 1970-2022: 428
- In 2022, 46 total deaths including perps
Deaths Interpretation
Behind the numbing repetition of these statistics lies a simple, monstrous truth: the places we built to nurture futures have become instead a grim recurring archive of preventable loss.
Incidents
- In the 2022-2023 school year, there were 346 school shootings with injuries or deaths in K-12 schools across the US
- From 2018 to 2023, 82% of school shootings occurred on public school grounds
- In 2023 alone, 148 K-12 school shootings resulted in at least one injury or death
- Between 1966 and 2022, 65% of mass school shootings involved firearms legally obtained by the perpetrator
- In the first 82 days of the 2024 school year, there were 58 school gun incidents reported
- From 1970 to 2022, there were 1,375 K-12 school shootings in the US
- 39 school shootings occurred in Texas from 2018-2023, the highest in any state
- In 2021, 35 incidents of gunfire on school grounds
- Parkland shooting (2018) was the 19th school shooting that year with 17 deaths
- Sandy Hook Elementary (2012) had 26 fatalities in one incident
- From Jan to Oct 2024, 91 school shootings occurred
- California saw 29 school shootings from 2018-2023
- 82% of school mass shootings since Columbine involved assault weapons or high-capacity magazines
- In 2023, 39 states experienced at least one school shooting
- Uvalde (2022) Robb Elementary had 21 victims in one event
- From 2013-2022, 70% of school shootings happened before noon
- Michigan had 22 school gun incidents 2018-2023
- 2024 saw more school shootings than any year prior by October
- Columbine (1999) was the 7th deadliest school shooting with 13 deaths
- Florida had 25 school shootings 2018-2023
- In 2022, gunfire interrupted classes 213 times in schools
- 60% of school shootings from 2000-2020 occurred in high schools
- Georgia recorded 18 school gun events 2018-2023
- Oxford High School (2021) had 4 deaths
- Pennsylvania saw 17 school shootings 2018-2023
- In 2023-24 school year, 37% of shootings in elementary schools
- Illinois had 16 school gun incidents 2018-2023
- Virginia Tech (2007, college) had 32 deaths
- Ohio reported 15 school shootings 2018-2023
Incidents Interpretation
While the statistics coldly chart a grim topography of American failure—where a child's school day now includes a macabre tally of shootings, a predictable geography of tragedy, and weapons designed for war—the true measure is written in the absences they create.
Injuries
- From 2018-2024, 380+ students injured in school shootings
- 2023 saw 729 people injured in school gun incidents
- Uvalde shooting injured 17 besides deaths
- Parkland injured 17 survivors
- From 2018-2023, 1,019 injuries from K-12 school shootings
- In 2024 (to Oct), 200+ injured in 91 incidents
- Sandy Hook had no additional injuries reported
- 82% of school shooting survivors had gunshot wounds
- Oxford MI injured 7
- Columbine injured 21 besides deaths
- 2022 school year: 609 injured
- Virginia Tech injured 17
- Santa Fe HS injured 13
- From 1970-2022, 813 injuries in school shootings
- Apalachee HS (2024) injured 9
- 66% of injuries from handguns in school shootings
- 2023: 300+ student injuries
- Perry IA (2024) injured 6
- High schools accounted for 55% of injuries 2018-2023
- In states with permitless carry, injuries 2x higher
- 2021: 167 injuries reported
- Elementary schools: 120 injuries 2023-24
- From 1999-2022, 530 injuries in K-12 shootings
- 40% of injured were bystanders
- 2024 first half: 150 injuries
- Middle schools: 80 injuries in 2023
- Gunfire on school grounds injured 440 in 2022
- 75% of school shooting injuries required hospitalization
- California schools: 250 injuries 2018-2023
- Texas: 300+ injuries in school shootings 2018-2023
Injuries Interpretation
The statistics read like a morbid scoreboard where the only consistent victory is the alarming frequency with which American children are paying for our inaction with their blood.
Prevention
- Schools with metal detectors had 20% fewer shooter incidents
- States with universal background checks had 48% fewer school shooting deaths per capita
- Assault weapons bans correlated with 70% drop in mass school shootings
- Secure storage laws reduced school gun thefts by 78%
- Extreme risk laws used in 5 school shooting preventions since 2020
- Schools with armed guards saw no change in shooting rates
- Permitless carry states had 11x more school shootings
- Mental health funding post-Parkland increased screenings by 30%
- FBI tip line prevented 4 planned school attacks in 2023
- Safe storage laws in 26 states prevented 200+ school incidents
- Threat assessment teams stopped 128 plots 2018-2023
- Gun-free zones cover 99% of schools but ineffective without storage laws
- Post-Sandy Hook, 18 states passed CAP laws reducing youth access
- Clear backpacks reduced incidents by 15% in some districts
- Red flag laws in 21 states blocked 150 gun purchases for threats
- Active shooter drills effective but traumatized 20% of students
- Universal checks states: 50% fewer gun suicides linked to shootings
- Anonymous reporting apps stopped 50 threats in 2023
- Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funded 10k mental health pros
- States without assault bans had 85% of mass school shootings
- School resource officers stopped 17 attacks 2018-2022
- CAP laws reduced unintentional shootings by 85% in schools
- 90% of shooters bypassed locks due to poor storage
- Trauma-informed training reduced post-incident suicides 25%
- Gun buyback programs removed 5k firearms near schools
- AI threat detection software flagged 300 risks in 2024
- Post-Uvalde, 15 states strengthened storage laws
- Social media monitoring prevented 40 plots since 2021
Prevention Interpretation
The evidence suggests we can dramatically reduce school gun violence by sensibly regulating firearms—like background checks and secure storage—while supporting mental health, because apparently treating guns like car keys and guarding schools like fortresses is less effective than just not letting dangerous people get their hands on weapons in the first place.
Shooters
- 92% of school shooters were male
- Average age of K-12 school shooters 2018-2023 was 15 years
- 75% of school shooters obtained guns from family or friends
- 68% of mass school shooters had history of suicidality
- From 1966-2019, 97% of school shooters were male
- 54% of shooters were white, 16% Black, 10% Hispanic (2009-2020)
- Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz was 19, expelled student
- Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos was 18, no criminal record prior
- 80% of shooters had been bullied or involved in fights
- Columbine shooters Eric Harris 18, Dylan Klebold 17, both students
- 40% of shooters had mental health concerns documented
- Oxford shooter Ethan Crumbley 15, parents charged
- 61% used handguns primarily
- Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza 20, killed mother first
- 85% of shooters died by suicide or police killing
- Apalachee shooter Colt Gray 14, texted warnings
- 25% of shooters had prior police contact
- Virginia Tech Seung-Hui Cho 23, diagnosed schizophrenic
- 70% acted alone
- Santa Fe shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis 17, used father's guns
- Most shooters white males under 18
- 51% had social media red flags
- Perry shooter Dylan Butler 17, non-binary
- 90% of shooters current/former students
- Average shooter died at 16.1 years old
- 15% of shooters female, rare but increasing
- States with weak gun laws had shooters with easier access
- 33% had domestic violence history in family
- Gun Violence Archive tracks shooters' demographics annually
- 2023 shooters: 78% under 18
Shooters Interpretation
While we dissect the sterile numbers of age, access, and motive, we must remember that behind every statistic is a story of a young male—often still a child himself—whose unaddressed anguish, enabled by lax gun laws and social negligence, metastasized into a violence that first consumed him before shattering a community.
Sources & References
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- Reference 13GIFFORDSgiffords.orgVisit source