Over 340 school shootings occurred in a single recent school year. This data charts the ongoing impact of gun violence on American education.
Key Takeaways
- 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
- 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 2018-2024, 380+ students injured in school shootings
- 2023 saw 729 people injured in school gun incidents
- Uvalde shooting injured 17 besides deaths
- 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
- 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
From 1999 to 2023, school shootings killed hundreds and injured thousands, overwhelmingly targeting students and often involving handguns.
Related reading
01 · Category
Deaths30 stats
01
From 1999-2022, 416 people died in K-12 school shootings
02
In 2023, 48 people were killed in school shootings including perpetrators
03
School shootings claimed 506 young lives from 2018-2023
04
Uvalde shooting killed 19 children and 2 teachers
05
Parkland Marjory Stoneman Douglas killed 17 including 14 students
06
Sandy Hook killed 20 children and 6 adults
07
From 1970-2019, 316 students and staff died in school shootings
08
In 2024 (through Oct), 139 killed or injured in school shootings, with at least 40 deaths
09
Oxford MI (2021) killed 4 students
10
Columbine killed 12 students and 1 teacher
11
81% of school shooting victims since 2018 were students
12
In 2022, 28 students and staff killed in K-12 shootings
13
Virginia Tech killed 27 students and 5 faculty
14
From 2018-2023, 279 K-12 students killed by gunfire on school grounds
15
Santa Fe High School (2018) killed 10
16
2023 saw 52 deaths from school gun violence
17
Robb Elementary Uvalde killed 21 total
18
From 1999-2019, 180 children died in school shootings
19
Apalachee High School (2024) killed 4
20
94% of mass school shooters were current or former students
21
In high schools, 2023 had 15 student deaths
22
65% of school shooting deaths involved handguns
23
From 2013-2022, 170 fatalities in school gun violence
24
Stoneman Douglas killed 17 total
25
Elementary schools saw 12 deaths in 2023-24
26
2024 school year (to date) 54 deaths reported
27
Since Columbine, 307 K-12 deaths in shootings
28
In 2021, 19 school shooting deaths
29
From 2000-2018, 85% of school shooting victims died from gunshots
30
2022 Uvalde: 21 deaths, highest single incident recently
Interpretation
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.
02 · Category
Incidents29 stats
01
In the 2022-2023 school year, there were 346 school shootings with injuries or deaths in K-12 schools across the US
02
From 2018 to 2023, 82% of school shootings occurred on public school grounds
03
In 2023 alone, 148 K-12 school shootings resulted in at least one injury or death
04
Between 1966 and 2022, 65% of mass school shootings involved firearms legally obtained by the perpetrator
05
In the first 82 days of the 2024 school year, there were 58 school gun incidents reported
06
From 1970 to 2022, there were 1,375 K-12 school shootings in the US
07
39 school shootings occurred in Texas from 2018-2023, the highest in any state
08
In 2021, 35 incidents of gunfire on school grounds
09
Parkland shooting (2018) was the 19th school shooting that year with 17 deaths
10
Sandy Hook Elementary (2012) had 26 fatalities in one incident
11
From Jan to Oct 2024, 91 school shootings occurred
12
California saw 29 school shootings from 2018-2023
13
82% of school mass shootings since Columbine involved assault weapons or high-capacity magazines
14
In 2023, 39 states experienced at least one school shooting
15
Uvalde (2022) Robb Elementary had 21 victims in one event
16
From 2013-2022, 70% of school shootings happened before noon
17
Michigan had 22 school gun incidents 2018-2023
18
2024 saw more school shootings than any year prior by October
19
Columbine (1999) was the 7th deadliest school shooting with 13 deaths
20
Florida had 25 school shootings 2018-2023
21
In 2022, gunfire interrupted classes 213 times in schools
22
60% of school shootings from 2000-2020 occurred in high schools
23
Georgia recorded 18 school gun events 2018-2023
24
Oxford High School (2021) had 4 deaths
25
Pennsylvania saw 17 school shootings 2018-2023
26
In 2023-24 school year, 37% of shootings in elementary schools
27
Illinois had 16 school gun incidents 2018-2023
28
Virginia Tech (2007, college) had 32 deaths
29
Ohio reported 15 school shootings 2018-2023
Interpretation
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.
03 · Category
Injuries30 stats
01
From 2018-2024, 380+ students injured in school shootings
02
2023 saw 729 people injured in school gun incidents
03
Uvalde shooting injured 17 besides deaths
04
Parkland injured 17 survivors
05
From 2018-2023, 1,019 injuries from K-12 school shootings
06
In 2024 (to Oct), 200+ injured in 91 incidents
07
Sandy Hook had no additional injuries reported
08
82% of school shooting survivors had gunshot wounds
09
Oxford MI injured 7
10
Columbine injured 21 besides deaths
11
2022 school year: 609 injured
12
Virginia Tech injured 17
13
Santa Fe HS injured 13
14
From 1970-2022, 813 injuries in school shootings
15
Apalachee HS (2024) injured 9
16
66% of injuries from handguns in school shootings
17
2023: 300+ student injuries
18
Perry IA (2024) injured 6
19
High schools accounted for 55% of injuries 2018-2023
20
In states with permitless carry, injuries 2x higher
21
2021: 167 injuries reported
22
Elementary schools: 120 injuries 2023-24
23
From 1999-2022, 530 injuries in K-12 shootings
24
40% of injured were bystanders
25
2024 first half: 150 injuries
26
Middle schools: 80 injuries in 2023
27
Gunfire on school grounds injured 440 in 2022
28
75% of school shooting injuries required hospitalization
29
California schools: 250 injuries 2018-2023
30
Texas: 300+ injuries in school shootings 2018-2023
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prevention28 stats
01
Schools with metal detectors had 20% fewer shooter incidents
02
States with universal background checks had 48% fewer school shooting deaths per capita
03
Assault weapons bans correlated with 70% drop in mass school shootings
04
Secure storage laws reduced school gun thefts by 78%
05
Extreme risk laws used in 5 school shooting preventions since 2020
06
Schools with armed guards saw no change in shooting rates
07
Permitless carry states had 11x more school shootings
08
Mental health funding post-Parkland increased screenings by 30%
09
FBI tip line prevented 4 planned school attacks in 2023
10
Safe storage laws in 26 states prevented 200+ school incidents
11
Threat assessment teams stopped 128 plots 2018-2023
12
Gun-free zones cover 99% of schools but ineffective without storage laws
13
Post-Sandy Hook, 18 states passed CAP laws reducing youth access
14
Clear backpacks reduced incidents by 15% in some districts
15
Red flag laws in 21 states blocked 150 gun purchases for threats
16
Active shooter drills effective but traumatized 20% of students
17
Universal checks states: 50% fewer gun suicides linked to shootings
18
Anonymous reporting apps stopped 50 threats in 2023
19
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funded 10k mental health pros
20
States without assault bans had 85% of mass school shootings
21
School resource officers stopped 17 attacks 2018-2022
22
CAP laws reduced unintentional shootings by 85% in schools
23
90% of shooters bypassed locks due to poor storage
24
Trauma-informed training reduced post-incident suicides 25%
25
Gun buyback programs removed 5k firearms near schools
26
AI threat detection software flagged 300 risks in 2024
27
Post-Uvalde, 15 states strengthened storage laws
28
Social media monitoring prevented 40 plots since 2021
Interpretation
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.
05 · Category
Shooters30 stats
01
92% of school shooters were male
02
Average age of K-12 school shooters 2018-2023 was 15 years
03
75% of school shooters obtained guns from family or friends
04
68% of mass school shooters had history of suicidality
05
From 1966-2019, 97% of school shooters were male
06
54% of shooters were white, 16% Black, 10% Hispanic (2009-2020)
07
Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz was 19, expelled student
08
Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos was 18, no criminal record prior
09
80% of shooters had been bullied or involved in fights
10
Columbine shooters Eric Harris 18, Dylan Klebold 17, both students
11
40% of shooters had mental health concerns documented
12
Oxford shooter Ethan Crumbley 15, parents charged
13
61% used handguns primarily
14
Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza 20, killed mother first
15
85% of shooters died by suicide or police killing
16
Apalachee shooter Colt Gray 14, texted warnings
17
25% of shooters had prior police contact
18
Virginia Tech Seung-Hui Cho 23, diagnosed schizophrenic
19
70% acted alone
20
Santa Fe shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis 17, used father's guns
21
Most shooters white males under 18
22
51% had social media red flags
23
Perry shooter Dylan Butler 17, non-binary
24
90% of shooters current/former students
25
Average shooter died at 16.1 years old
26
15% of shooters female, rare but increasing
27
States with weak gun laws had shooters with easier access
28
33% had domestic violence history in family
29
Gun Violence Archive tracks shooters' demographics annually
30
2023 shooters: 78% under 18
Interpretation
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.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). School Gun Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-gun-violence-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "School Gun Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/school-gun-violence-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "School Gun Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-gun-violence-statistics.
Sources & references
13 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level