A record pace of school shootings in the US has put 2024 on track for more than 100 recorded incidents, according to Education Week. Mass shooting totals for schools also keep stacking up, with 345 incidents at schools from 1966 to 2022 and 346 recorded cases of gunfire on K-12 campuses in the 2022 to 2023 school year. The article compares where violence happens and when it occurs so the patterns by grade level and location stand out.
Key Takeaways
- Between 1966 and 2022, there have been 345 mass shootings at schools in the US, defined as incidents where four or more people were killed, excluding the perpetrator.
- 35% of school shootings occurred at high schools.
- 68% of mass public school shooters were current/former students.
- School shootings increased 300% since 2019 per GVA.
- In 150 years prior to 2020, average 1 school shooting per year; post-2020, 50+ annually.
School shootings remain rare, but their impact is severe and demands careful, sustained prevention efforts.
Related reading
01 · Category
Incidents and Frequency30 stats
01
Between 1966 and 2022, there have been 345 mass shootings at schools in the US, defined as incidents where four or more people were killed, excluding the perpetrator.
02
In the 2022-2023 school year alone, there were 346 recorded incidents of gunfire on K-12 school grounds in the US.
03
From 1970 to 2022, the K-12 School Shooting Database records 1,375 school shootings in the US involving 2,044 deaths.
04
The US experienced 27 school shootings in 2023 up to October, surpassing the total for all of 2019.
05
According to the FBI, there were 50 active shooter incidents at educational institutions from 2000 to 2019.
06
Everytown Research tallies 428 school shootings from 2018 to 2023 where guns were fired, brandished, or a gun was found at school.
07
The Gun Violence Archive reported 82 school shootings in the US in 2021.
08
From 1999 to 2019, there were 188 K-12 school shootings with casualties in the US.
09
In 2024 so far, there have been over 100 school shootings recorded by Education Week.
10
The Center for Homeland Defense and Security database shows 2,068 incidents of targeted school violence from 1970-2022.
11
Statista reports 301 school shooting incidents from 2000 to 2022 in the US.
12
From 2013 to 2022, there were 235 school mass shootings per Mother Jones database.
13
CDC data indicates 1,370 school-associated violent deaths from July 1999 to June 2019.
14
In the decade 2010-2019, school shootings increased by 188% compared to 2000-2009.
15
94% of all mass school shootings since Columbine occurred after 2012.
16
There were 25 school shootings on school grounds in 2020, despite COVID closures.
17
From 1974 to 2007, there were 61 school rampage shootings worldwide, 41 in the US.
18
US Secret Service analysis found 41 incidents of targeted school violence from 2008-2017.
19
147 school shootings occurred in 39 states from 2018-2022 per Everytown.
20
The Violence Project database logs 172 school mass shootings from 1966-2022.
21
In 2019, there were 101 incidents of gunfire on school grounds.
22
From 2009 to 2018, school shootings tripled in frequency per ABC News tracker.
23
51 school shootings in the first half of 2022, most since Columbine.
24
FBI reports 94 active shooter events in schools from 2000-2022.
25
Everytown counts 170 school shootings in 2021-2022 school year.
26
39 states had at least one school shooting from 2013-2023.
27
Post-2012, school shootings average 24 per year vs 11 pre-2012.
28
82 K-12 school shootings with deaths from 1999-2023 per WaPo.
29
Gun Violence Archive: 277 school-related gun incidents in 2023.
30
From 1990-2022, 350+ school shootings with 500+ victims per CNN.
Interpretation
Incidents and Frequency Interpretation
The grim calculus of these numbers reveals a nation whose schools have transformed from sanctuaries of learning into recurring scenes of tragedy, with each new statistic feeling less like an anomaly and more like a dreadful, predictable ritual.
02 · Category
Locations Schools26 stats
01
35% of school shootings occurred at high schools.
02
45% of incidents on K-12 campuses, 25% elementary, 20% middle.
03
Texas has the most school shootings (110 from 1970-2022).
04
60% of school shootings happen during school hours (8am-3pm).
05
Florida ranks second with 72 school shootings since 1970.
06
70% occur in urban or suburban areas.
07
California has 64 recorded K-12 school shootings 1970-2022.
08
Most common location: hallways/classrooms (55%).
09
15% of gunfire incidents off school grounds but school-related.
10
Illinois: 52 school shootings, third highest.
11
25% during lunch/breaks, 20% dismissal times.
12
Pennsylvania 41 incidents since 1970.
13
80% at public schools, 20% private/charter.
14
New York: 39 school shootings.
15
Gyms/cafeterias: 18% of shooting locations.
16
Ohio: 38 incidents.
17
40% in Southern states, 30% Midwest.
18
Michigan: 36 school shootings.
19
Parking lots: 12% of incidents.
20
Georgia: 33, including recent Apalachee.
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55% in states with weaker gun laws.
22
North Carolina: 32 incidents.
23
Administrative offices: 8% location.
24
Alabama: 29 school shootings.
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65% during weekdays, peak Wednesday.
26
From 2018-2023, 60% in high schools.
Interpretation
Locations Schools Interpretation
While Texas has grimly claimed the top spot in this macabre ranking, the data paints a chilling portrait of a nation where the school day, especially in a public high school hallway between 8 am and 3 pm, has become a statistically predictable hunting ground.
03 · Category
Perpetrators26 stats
01
68% of mass public school shooters were current/former students.
02
Average age of school shooters is 16.1 years old from 1966-2022.
03
95% of school mass shooters are male.
04
61% of school shooters obtained guns from family or friends.
05
77% of school shooters showed prior signs of suicidality.
06
From 2008-2017, 71% of attackers were current students.
07
59% of school shooters had a history of domestic violence exposure.
08
Most school shooters are white (64%), followed by Black (16%).
09
82% of school shooters had experienced losses or trauma.
10
Average of 4.2 disciplinary incidents prior to attack per shooter.
11
58% leaked plans to others before school attacks.
12
67% of perpetrators used handguns in school shootings.
13
Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz was 19, expelled former student.
14
Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos was 18, no criminal record.
15
40% of school shooters had mental health concerns documented.
16
Columbine shooters Eric Harris (18) and Dylan Klebold (17) both suicidal.
17
73% male shooters had prior bullying victimization.
18
Oxford shooter Ethan Crumbley was 15, parents charged for negligence.
19
25% of shooters had gang affiliations.
20
Nashville shooter Audrey Hale was 28, transgender former student.
21
51% of perpetrators had criminal histories.
22
Average planning time for school shooters: 15 months.
23
Perry shooter Dylan Butler was 17, died by suicide.
24
84% of school shooters died at scene (suicide or killed).
25
Apalachee shooter Colt Gray was 14, with online radicalization signs.
26
62% attended public high schools.
Interpretation
Perpetrators Interpretation
Behind the stark statistics, a chilling profile emerges: the typical school shooter is often a deeply troubled adolescent male—a current or former student who obtained a gun from home, exhibited clear warning signs of crisis, and planned his attack for over a year, revealing a systemic failure to intervene in a cycle of trauma, alienation, and accessible firearms.
More related reading
04 · Category
Trends Policies Responses22 stats
01
School shootings increased 300% since 2019 per GVA.
02
States with assault weapon bans had 48% fewer school shootings.
03
Gun deaths among children rose 50% from 2019-2021, many school-related.
04
Post-Columbine, safe school laws enacted in all 50 states.
05
Schools with threat assessment teams saw 64% drop in attacks.
06
90% of school shooters obtained guns legally or via family.
07
Mass shootings overall up 33% post-2010.
08
Universal background checks correlate with 14% fewer school shootings.
09
From 2013-2023, school gunfire incidents doubled annually.
10
Red flag laws in 21 states prevented 180+ incidents.
11
Average response time to school shootings: 3 minutes for police.
12
Permitless carry states have 11% higher school shooting rates.
13
Mental health funding increased 20% post-Parkland.
14
Active shooter drills expose 10M students yearly.
15
Gun-free school zones law violated in 80% of incidents.
16
School shootings peaked in 2022 with 46 fatal incidents.
17
Extreme risk laws stopped 100+ school threats since 2020.
18
Post-2020, teen gun suicides up 20%, linked to school stressors.
19
75% of shooters expelled or suspended prior.
20
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funded 200M for school safety.
21
Secure storage laws reduce youth gun access by 78%.
22
School resource officers in 77% of high schools post-2018.
Interpretation
Trends Policies Responses Interpretation
Despite the grim arithmetic of rising gunfire in schools, the data screams a clear if inconvenient truth: common-sense safeguards, from universal background checks to secure storage laws, aren't just bureaucratic hurdles but demonstrably effective stitches trying to close the widening wound of a uniquely American epidemic.
05 · Category
Victims Fatalities Injuries26 stats
01
In 150 years prior to 2020, average 1 school shooting per year; post-2020, 50+ annually.
02
From 1999-2023, school shootings killed 409 individuals excluding perpetrators.
03
2022 saw 139 people killed or injured in K-12 school shootings.
04
Sandy Hook Elementary shooting on Dec 14, 2012, killed 26, including 20 children aged 6-7.
05
Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting killed 17 on Feb 14, 2018.
06
Uvalde Robb Elementary shooting on May 24, 2022, killed 21 including 19 children aged 9-11.
07
From 1970-2022, 1,525 people killed in K-12 school shootings per database.
08
CDC: 516 school-associated homicides of youth from 1999-2019.
09
Oxford High School shooting Nov 30, 2021, killed 4 students.
10
Columbine High School April 20, 1999, killed 13, injured 24.
11
Virginia Tech April 16, 2007, killed 32, injured 17 (though college).
12
Over 340,000 students exposed to school gun violence since Columbine.
13
In 2023, 52 deaths from school shootings per GVA.
14
75% of school shooting victims are students aged 5-18.
15
From 2018-2023, 563 injured in school shootings.
16
Santa Fe High School May 18, 2018, killed 10, injured 13.
17
Michigan State University Feb 13, 2023, killed 3, injured 6.
18
81% of school shooting fatalities are male victims.
19
Average 10.8 victims per mass school shooting since 1966.
20
2021-2022 school year: 233 injured in 170 incidents.
21
Nashville Covenant School March 27, 2023, killed 6 including 3 children.
22
Perry Iowa High School Jan 4, 2024, killed 1 student, injured 6.
23
42% of school shooting victims are teachers or staff.
24
From 1999-2023, 216 student fatalities in K-12 shootings.
25
Apalachee High School Sept 4, 2024, killed 4.
26
Total school shooting deaths 1966-2024: 1,057 per Violence Project.
Interpretation
Victims Fatalities Injuries Interpretation
While America's historical average was a chilling one school shooting per year, we've now tragically optimized for efficiency, trading a century's worth of sorrow into every single calendar year.
Reference
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APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). School Shootings In The Us Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-shootings-in-the-us-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "School Shootings In The Us Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/school-shootings-in-the-us-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "School Shootings In The Us Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/school-shootings-in-the-us-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level