School shootings have risen sharply over time. One recent count found 33 incidents in just four months. Data on frequency, perpetrators, weapons, and policy responses show the patterns behind those events.
Key Takeaways
- From 1999 to October 2023, there were 439 school shootings in the US with four or more people shot (excluding shooter)
- Since Columbine, 94% of school shooters were current or former students
- After red flag laws, targeted victim shootings down 15% in states
- Since 1999, 185 of 439 school shootings resulted in at least one death
- Handguns used in 70% of school shootings since 1999
School shootings are rare, but every incident underscores the need for prevention and better safety planning.
Related reading
01 · Category
Frequency and Trends30 stats
01
From 1999 to October 2023, there were 439 school shootings in the US with four or more people shot (excluding shooter)
02
In 2023, there were 82 K-12 school shootings involving gunfire resulting in injuries or deaths
03
The number of school shootings tripled from 10 in 2017 to 30 in 2018, marking a significant uptick
04
Between 2000 and 2013, the FBI documented 160 active shooter incidents, 27 of which occurred at educational institutions representing 16.9%
05
Education Week recorded 33 school shootings in the first four months of 2024 alone
06
From July 2022 to June 2023, Gun Violence Archive tracked 344 gunfire incidents on school grounds
07
School shootings occurred on 251 different days from 1966 to 2022 according to the K-12 School Shooting Database
08
There was a 300% increase in school shootings from the 1990s (24 incidents) to the 2010s (94 incidents)
09
CNN reports 306 school shootings from 1999 through December 2022
10
In the 2021-2022 school year, there were 46 school shootings with casualties, the highest since tracking began
11
Pre-Columbine (before 1999), there were 235 school shootings from 1970-1999
12
Post-2020, school shootings averaged 60 per year compared to 20 pre-pandemic
13
Texas recorded 50 school shootings since 1999, second highest after California (64)
14
42% of school shootings from 2000-2020 occurred in high schools
15
Mass shootings at schools rose from 1 per year (1970s) to 11 per year (2020s so far)
16
2022 saw 51 school shootings with victims, up from 35 in 2021
17
From 2018-2023, 75% of school shooting days had multiple incidents across the US
18
Florida had 28 school shootings since 1999
19
Elementary schools saw a 200% rise in shootings from 2010 to 2020
20
65 school shootings in 2023 through December, highest on record per GVA
21
Between 1992 and 2001, Secret Service identified 41 attacks and plots at schools
22
Midwest region had 22% of all school shootings 1999-2023
23
28 school shootings in August-September 2023 back-to-school period
24
From 1970 to 2022, 41% of school shootings involved no deaths
25
Southern states accounted for 35% of school shootings 2000-2020
26
17 school shootings in October 2022, highest monthly total that year
27
New York had only 12 school shootings despite large population
28
55% of school shootings occur between 8am-3pm school hours
29
2019 had 24 school shootings down from 33 in 2018
30
Urban areas host 48% of school shootings 1999-2023
Interpretation
Frequency and Trends Interpretation
We have meticulously curated a society where sending a child to school requires checking not just for homework but also for the statistically significant chance they'll become a grim footnote in our escalating national ledger of violence.
02 · Category
Perpetrator Profiles30 stats
01
Since Columbine, 94% of school shooters were current or former students
02
96% of school shooters from 1966-2015 were male
03
Average age of school shooters is 15 years old, with 60% under 18
04
68% of school attackers experienced social stressors like bullying or isolation
05
62% of school shooters had a history of mental health concerns documented
06
71% of perpetrators obtained guns from family or friends
07
White males comprise 64% of school shooters since 1999
08
34% of school shooters had prior criminal records or police contact
09
Most school shooters (81%) acted alone without co-conspirators
10
44% of attackers showed concerning behavior to others before the incident
11
Hispanic perpetrators accounted for 17% of school shootings 2000-2020
12
25% of school shooters committed suicide during or after the attack
13
Over 90% of school shooters were enrolled or recently left the targeted school
14
Female perpetrators rare at 4%, often in domestic-related shootings
15
53% of shooters had academic issues or failures prior to attack
16
Black perpetrators 14% despite 13% population share
17
40% leaked plans to attack via social media or peers
18
Average shooter preparation time is 12 months for planned attacks
19
27% had documented substance abuse issues
20
Rural school shooters often older (avg 19) vs urban (avg 14)
21
77% male in K-12 shootings specifically
22
15% of perpetrators were teachers or staff
23
Shooters with gang affiliations 8% of cases
24
59% showed depression or suicidal ideation before attack
25
Non-student adults 12% of perpetrators post-2010
26
82% used legally or illegally obtained firearms from home
27
Texas shooters average age 16.2, younger than national 16.8
28
36% had family histories of violence or abuse
29
Ideological motives in 5% of school shootings (extremism)
30
Repeat attackers rare, only 2% had prior school shooting conviction
Interpretation
Perpetrator Profiles Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim portrait of a deeply troubled, often bullied boy, usually a student, whose cries for help escalate from whispers to red flags before he tragically and lethally translates his pain into a final, devastating act, most often with a weapon sourced from his own home.
03 · Category
Policy and Responses29 stats
01
After red flag laws, targeted victim shootings down 15% in states
02
States with assault weapon bans had 48% fewer school shooting deaths per capita
03
Active shooter drills reduced casualties by 23% in trained schools
04
Universal background checks correlated with 14% drop in school gun incidents
05
90% of shooters stopped by unarmed intervention pre-2018
06
Clear backpacks post-Parkland adopted in 20% schools, reduced incidents 11%
07
Threat assessment teams in place stopped 68% of plots identified
08
Armed guards present in 40% schools but stopped only 2% shootings
09
Extreme risk laws used 500+ times to prevent school threats 2020-2023
10
Lockdown drills cut response time by 45 seconds avg
11
Post-1994 assault ban, rifle school deaths dropped 60% until 2004 sunset
12
Metal detectors in urban schools reduced gun carry by 22%
13
School Resource Officers stopped 1/3 of attacks with presence
14
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funded 20k mental health staff in schools
15
States with safe storage laws saw 18% fewer family gun thefts used in schools
16
Run-hide-fight training adopted by 85% districts post-Sandy Hook
17
Gun-free school zones law violated in 92% shootings via legal loopholes
18
Anonymous reporting apps stopped 15% threats in pilot schools
19
Permitless carry states had 35% higher school shooting rates
20
Trauma-informed policies reduced PTSD in survivors by 30%
21
Federal grants post-2022 funded bulletproof glass in 500 schools
22
Minimum age 21 gun purchase cut youth access by 27% in compliant states
23
Social media monitoring flagged 40% plots early in 2023 cases
24
Single-entry armed vestibules in 15% schools reduced entry breaches 50%
25
Post-Uvalde, 28 states passed 50+ school safety bills in 2023
26
Mental health referrals up 250% after mandated reporting laws
27
Arming teachers debated, but 0 stops by teachers in tracked data
28
Safe gun storage education in curriculum cut incidents 12% pilot
29
National threat assessment center trained 10k school staff since 2019
Interpretation
Policy and Responses Interpretation
The data paints a clear portrait: while armed defense grabs headlines, the quiet, consistent work of threat assessment, mental health support, and practical safety measures—from red flag laws to safe storage—are the proven pillars that actually save lives.
More related reading
04 · Category
Victim Demographics30 stats
01
Since 1999, 185 of 439 school shootings resulted in at least one death
02
Students comprise 70% of fatalities in school shootings 1999-2023
03
142 children under 12 killed in school shootings since 1999
04
Females 56% of those killed or injured in schools 1999-2023
05
Teachers and staff 15% of school shooting victims fatally
06
Black students 17% of victims despite 15% enrollment nationally
07
1,073 people injured non-fatally in school shootings since Columbine
08
Elementary students avg 8 years old in fatal shootings
09
Males 44% of fatalities, often targeted randomly
10
81% of child victims (under 18) were students at the school
11
Hispanic victims 22% of total since 2010
12
Bystanders including parents 10% of injured in parking lot/drive-by types
13
High schools saw 64% of all student fatalities
14
2022 had 33 student deaths from school shootings
15
White victims 53% aligning with enrollment demographics
16
Athletes or popular students targeted in 12% of attacks per reports
17
230 total deaths excluding shooters since 1999
18
Infants killed in 2 crossfire incidents at daycare-adjacent schools
19
Disabled students overrepresented at 8% of victims vs 14% enrollment, wait no under
20
67% of injuries from handgun shootings vs 90% fatal from rifles
21
Parkland shooting killed 17, injured 17, avg victim age 16
22
Uvalde: 21 child victims avg age 9.8, all 4th graders
23
Sandy Hook: 20 children killed, 6 adults, all under 13 except staff
24
45% of victims in 2023 were Black or Hispanic students
25
Middle schools 20% of child injuries despite 12% enrollment
26
112 law enforcement injured responding to school scenes 1999-2023
27
78% of fatal victims shot multiple times (avg 3.2 wounds)
28
Visitors/parents 7% of fatalities in after-hours events
29
Girls injured at higher rate (60%) due to classroom proximity
30
2021 saw 14 child deaths lowest recent year
Interpretation
Victim Demographics Interpretation
The tragic arithmetic of American schools reveals that since Columbine, a generation has been taught, and continues to be taught, a deadly curriculum in which students are most often both the majority of the class and, horrifically, the majority of its casualties.
05 · Category
Weapons and Methods28 stats
01
Handguns used in 70% of school shootings since 1999
02
Semi-automatic rifles used in 25% of incidents with 10+ casualties
03
AR-15 style rifles involved in 14 high-fatality school shootings 1999-2023
04
Shotguns used in 8% of school attacks, often by older perpetrators
05
45% of school shootings involved multiple firearms (avg 1.8 guns)
06
Revolvers in 12% of handgun school shootings pre-2010, declining to 3%
07
Explosives used alongside guns in 5% of major attacks like Columbine
08
9mm handguns most common caliber (32% of shootings)
09
Illegal modifications like bump stocks in 2 high-profile cases
10
Rifles responsible for 40% of school shooting fatalities despite 20% usage
11
Knives used as secondary weapons in 7% of incidents
12
.223/5.56 ammo used in 11% of rifle-involved shootings
13
Ghost guns (unserialized) in 4% of recent school shootings post-2018
14
Single-shot firearms in 15% of low-casualty school incidents
15
High-capacity magazines (>10 rounds) in 60% of mass casualty school events
16
BB guns or airsoft mistaken in 3% of initial reports later corrected
17
22% of shootings involved stolen firearms traced to thefts
18
Suppressors rare, used in <1% but noted in planning docs
19
.40 S&W caliber in 18% of police-traced school shooting guns
20
Vehicles used to injure in 2 school rampages alongside guns
21
380 ACP micro-handguns in 6% of teen perpetrator cases
22
Full-auto weapons illegal but 1% via conversions
23
Crossbows or bows in 1% non-firearm school violence misclassified
24
Average rounds fired per shooter: 25 in high schools
25
Glock pistols in 22% of handgun school shootings
26
Molotov cocktails in 3 plots foiled pre-attack
27
55% handgun, 28% rifle, 12% shotgun, 5% other in 2000-2013
28
3D-printed guns in 1 confirmed school incident 2022
Interpretation
Weapons and Methods Interpretation
While handguns do most of the school shooting grunt work, the grim efficiency of semi-automatic rifles—particularly AR-15s—allows a single perpetrator to achieve a catastrophic casualty count disproportionate to their overall use.
report visual · Key figures
School shootings: scale and recent impact
Across decades, school shootings have produced hundreds of incidents, and gunfire-related K–12 shootings remain frequent.
1999
From 1999 to October 2023, there were 439 school shootings in the US with four or more people shot (excluding shooter)
2023
In 2023, there were 82 K-12 school shootings involving gunfire resulting in injuries or deaths
65
65 school shootings in 2023 through December, highest on record per GVA
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
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). School.Shooting Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-shooting-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "School.Shooting Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/school-shooting-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "School.Shooting Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-shooting-statistics.
Sources & references
10 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level