While the bell should signal the start of a lesson, for over 300,000 American students since Columbine it has signaled terror, as the epidemic of school gunfire—from 46 shootings in 2022 alone to a record 345 incidents in the 2021-22 school year—transforms hallways into hunting grounds and turns classrooms into crime scenes.
Key Takeaways
- Between 1966 and January 6, 2023, there were 1,375 K-12 school shootings resulting in 515 deaths excluding the perpetrator
- In 2022 alone, there were 46 school shootings with injuries or deaths in the US
- From 1999 to 2019, the number of school shootings increased by 161%
- School shootings resulted in 531 deaths from 1999-2022
- From 2018-2023, school shootings killed 173 students and injured 469
- Sandy Hook Elementary shooting killed 26 on Dec 14, 2012
- 90% of mass school shooters were current/former students
- Average age of school shooters is 16
- 51% of school shooters from 1966-2019 experienced suicidal ideation
- 81% of victims in school shootings were students aged 5-18
- 55% of school shooting fatalities were male students
- Teachers/staff comprise 10% of school shooting victims since 1966
- 85% of handguns used in school shootings since 2006
- 35% of school shooters used assault rifles like AR-15
- 154 firearms used in school shootings 2018-2021
School shootings in the US have tragically become a frequent and deadly crisis.
Fatalities and Injuries
- School shootings resulted in 531 deaths from 1999-2022
- From 2018-2023, school shootings killed 173 students and injured 469
- Sandy Hook Elementary shooting killed 26 on Dec 14, 2012
- Uvalde Robb Elementary killed 19 children and 2 teachers in 2022
- Parkland Marjory Stoneman Douglas killed 17, injured 17 on Feb 14, 2018
- Columbine High School killed 13, injured 24 on April 20, 1999
- Oxford High School Michigan killed 4, injured 7 in 2021
- Santa Fe High School Texas killed 10, injured 13 in 2018
- Virginia Tech killed 32, injured 17 in 2007
- 81% of school shooting victims since 1966 were students
- From 1999-2019, 322 people died in school shootings
- In 2022 school shootings, 139 people injured, 79 killed
- Mass school shootings caused 216 deaths from 1999-2013
- 69% of school shooting victims are killed by handguns
- Over 500 children killed or injured in school shootings since 2018
- Nashville Covenant School killed 6, injured 1 in 2023
- Perry Iowa High School killed 1, injured 6 in Jan 2024
- 94% of school shooting deaths since 1950 were by firearms
- From 2009-2019, 52 school shootings killed 124, injured 248
- 2023 school year to date: 45 deaths, 119 injuries
- Since Columbine, 374 people killed in school shootings
- 170 students/staff killed in K-12 shootings 2018-2023
- Bath School disaster 1927 killed 44 but no guns, modern era different
- 75% of school shooting fatalities occur in 1-2% of incidents classified as mass shootings
- 2021 saw 35 school shooting deaths
- 116 school shootings in 2021 caused 48 deaths
- Apalachee High School GA killed 4, injured 9 in 2024
- 64% of school mass shooting victims are children under 18
Fatalities and Injuries Interpretation
These statistics are not a scoreboard, yet reading them feels like counting graves to the rhythm of a broken record.
Incidence and Frequency
- Between 1966 and January 6, 2023, there were 1,375 K-12 school shootings resulting in 515 deaths excluding the perpetrator
- In 2022 alone, there were 46 school shootings with injuries or deaths in the US
- From 1999 to 2019, the number of school shootings increased by 161%
- K-12 schools experienced 346 incidents of gunfire on school grounds from 2018-2021
- There were 27 school shootings in the first 20 weeks of 2023
- Texas had 76 school shootings since Columbine in 1999 as of 2023
- Over 300,000 students have been exposed to school gun violence since Columbine
- 90% of school shootings from 1966-2015 occurred after 1970
- In the 2021-2022 school year, there were 119 K-12 school shootings
- School shootings accounted for 94% of all mass shootings at educational institutions globally from 2000-2019
- There were 251 school shootings in 2023 up to October
- From 1970 to 2022, 85% of school shootings involved handguns
- The US had 288 school shootings in 2022, per Education Week tracker
- Parkland shooting on Feb 14, 2018, was the 18th school shooting that year
- Since 2018, gunfire incidents on school grounds total 1,375 K-12
- 48 states have had school shootings since Columbine
- Mass shootings at schools rose 75% from pre-2020 to 2020-2022
- 4,463 school shootings occurred worldwide from 2000-2019, 48% in US
- US schools average one shooting every week since 2018
- 2023 saw 82 school shootings with deaths or injuries by September
- From 1990-2016, 25% of mass public shootings were at schools
- Columbine was the 4th deadliest school shooting in US history
- Sandy Hook ranked 4th deadliest K-12 shooting
- Uvalde 2022 was 2nd deadliest after Sandy Hook
- Virginia Tech 2007 remains deadliest college shooting with 32 killed
- 70% of school shootings since 1999 occurred on public school grounds
- K-12 school shootings tripled from 2018-2019 to 2021-2022
- 37 school shootings in first 3 months of 2023
- Gunfire on school grounds hit record 345 incidents in 2021-22 school year
- Since 1970, 1,400+ people died in school shootings excluding perpetrators
Incidence and Frequency Interpretation
These statistics scream a grotesque American expertise in normalizing what should be unthinkable, treating our children like data points in a recurring national nightmare.
Perpetrator Profiles
- 90% of mass school shooters were current/former students
- Average age of school shooters is 16
- 51% of school shooters from 1966-2019 experienced suicidal ideation
- 68% of mass public shooters had 4+ crises in life prior to attack
- 95% of school shooters are male
- 61% of school shooters were bullied
- Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz was 19, expelled former student
- Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos was 18, current student
- 71% of school shooters showed concerning behaviors beforehand
- 62% of attackers had history of school disciplinary issues
- Columbine shooters Eric Harris 18 and Dylan Klebold 17
- Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza 20, obsessed with mass shootings
- 77% of school shooters obtained guns from family or friends
- Average school shooter comes from middle-class background
- 59% of perpetrators had mental health concerns
- Oxford shooter Ethan Crumbley 15, parents charged with manslaughter
- 83% of school shooters were white, per some databases 1966-2015
- Nashville shooter Audrey Hale 28, transgender former student
- 44% of school shooters leaked plans to others beforehand
- Perpetrators in 80% of cases knew their targets
- Santa Fe shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis 17, current student
- 25% of school shooters had criminal records prior
- Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho 23, college student with mental illness
- 98% of mass shooters male across categories
- School shooters often fascinated by previous attacks, 40% referenced Columbine
- 73% of perpetrators acted alone
- Average planning time for school shooters is 14 days
- 12% of school shooters were female
- Most school shooters not on psychotropic meds at time
Perpetrator Profiles Interpretation
The statistics paint a grim and inescapable truth: that the typical school shooter is not a mysterious outsider, but a deeply troubled young man from within the community—often a bullied student spiraling through multiple crises and suicidal despair, whose violent intentions are frequently telegraphed but ultimately ignored until he turns to readily available guns to enact a final, catastrophic revenge.
Policy and Response
- Post-Columbine, 44 states passed some school safety laws
- 27 states require threat assessment teams in schools post-1999
- Federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act 2022 funded red flag laws
- 21 states have extreme risk protection orders as of 2023
- Safe School Act proposed multiple times but not passed federally
- 94% of public schools have active shooter drills
- Only 8 states ban assault weapons as of 2023
- FBI active shooter reports guide school preparedness
- 40 states arm teachers or school staff in some capacity
- Universal background checks in 21 states + DC post-2022
- Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS Safety Act Florida 2018 funded mental health
- 50% increase in school resource officers post-Columbine
- No federal assault weapons ban since 2004 expiration
- Texas passed permitless carry 2021 amid school shootings
- CDC school violence prevention grants increased post-2012
- 15 states require safe storage laws applicable to school contexts
- Everytown rates states A-F on gun laws, top prevent school violence
- 90% of districts have emergency plans post-Federal guidelines
- Red flag laws used 500+ times post-Parkland in some states
- 36 states have laws addressing bullying linked to shootings
Policy and Response Interpretation
We've woven a patchwork quilt of responses to school shootings so vast and heavy that it might stop a bullet, if only it weren't full of so many holes.
Victim Demographics
- 81% of victims in school shootings were students aged 5-18
- 55% of school shooting fatalities were male students
- Teachers/staff comprise 10% of school shooting victims since 1966
- In K-12 shootings 1999-2022, 70% victims under 18
- 87% of child school shooting victims killed by firearms were shot at school
- Elementary school victims average younger age 7-10 in deadly incidents
- High school shootings victims mostly teens 14-17
- 24% of victims in school shootings were teachers or staff
- Black students disproportionately affected in some urban school shootings
- 65% of school shooting victims white, mirroring school demographics
- Sandy Hook victims: 20 children avg age 6-7, 6 adults
- Uvalde victims: 19 children 4th graders age 9-10, 2 teachers age 40s
- Parkland victims: 14 students age 14-18, 3 staff
- Columbine victims: 10 students, 1 teacher, ages 14-18 mostly
- 15% of school shooting victims were siblings or family of shooter
- Females 40% of school shooting victims despite males more targeted sometimes
- 92% of student victims shot at school were killed by gun
- Hispanic students 20% of victims in recent years
- Special education students overrepresented in some victim stats
- 75% of mass shooting victims in schools were in classrooms
- Oxford victims: 4 students age 14-17
- Santa Fe victims: 8 students, 2 teachers, ages 15-16 mostly
- Nashville victims: 3 children age 9, 3 adults age 61, 43, 61
- Virginia Tech victims: 27 students, 5 faculty, avg age 20
- 33% of school shooting injuries non-fatal but severe trauma
Victim Demographics Interpretation
Behind these sterile percentages lies the brutal truth that our schools have become hunting grounds where our youngest citizens, from first-graders clutching crayons to high schoolers dreaming of proms, are statistically parsed by age, race, and location in a morbid ledger of American failure.
Weapons and Methods
- 85% of handguns used in school shootings since 2006
- 35% of school shooters used assault rifles like AR-15
- 154 firearms used in school shootings 2018-2021
- Semi-automatic pistols most common, 48% of incidents
- Parkland shooter used AR-15 style rifle legally purchased
- Uvalde shooter used Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 rifle, handgun
- 77% of guns from shooter’s home or family
- Revolvers used in 12% of school shootings pre-2000
- Sandy Hook shooter used Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle
- High-capacity magazines used in 22 mass shootings at schools
- Shotguns used in 18% of incidents 1966-2015
- AR-15 platforms used in 25% of deadliest school shootings
- 3D printed guns rare but emerging in some incidents
- Handguns sole weapon in 59% of school gun violence 2018-2021
- Columbine shooters used TEC-9, CAR-15, sawed-off shotgun
- Ghost guns used in at least 5 school shootings post-2020
- 92% of school shooters used legally or illegally obtained firearms
- Rifles used caused 67% higher fatality rate than handguns
- Oxford shooter used Sig Sauer SP 2022 handgun from parents
- Santa Fe shooter used revolver and shotgun from home
- Nashville shooter used Kel-Tec SUB-2000, Kel-Tec P50, handgun
- Virginia Tech shooter used Glock 19, Walther .22 pistols
- Explosives used in 5% of school attacks historically
- Stolen guns in 43% of cases where source known
- Bump stocks banned post-Las Vegas but relevant to some discussions
Weapons and Methods Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of school shootings reveals a chilling paradox: while handguns are the most common tool of this violence, it is the legally purchased, military-style rifles that transform these tragedies into massacres, making the debate about the weapon in the hallway as urgent as the one about the weapon in the home.
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