Violent deaths and shootings at schools are tragic events with potentially far-reaching effects on the school population and surrounding community. This indicator presents data from multiple sources, each of which collects information based on different definitions of the incidents of interest and highlights different dimensions of school safety. First, this indicator presents data on school-associated violent deaths from the School-Associated Violent Death Surveillance System (SAVD-SS). For context, these data are compared with total homicides and suicides of youth ages 5–18 from the National Vital Statistics System. Next, this indicator turns its focus to shooting incidents.
It examines data on school shootings, broadly defined, from the School Shooting Safety Compendium (SSSC) from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) before turning to a narrower measure of active shooter incidents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
More Info about School Shooting
Data for each of these three sources on school-associated violent deaths and shootings rely, at least in part, on open-source data, such as media reporting. As a result, the completeness of these data is subject to the comprehensiveness of these public sources, which may vary over time or by type of incident. For instance, media reporting may be more extensive for incidents that are more deadly or unusual or otherwise perceived to be of greater public interest. However, this variance is unknown. Readers should bear this in mind when evaluating findings and making comparisons throughout this indicator.
Data from these sources also cover different periods: the most recent data from SAVD-SS are for 2019–20, the most recent data from the SSSC are for 2020–21, and the most recent data from the FBI are for 2021.1 Beginning around 2000, these data show no consistent trend in the number of school-associated violent deaths or in the number of FBI active shooter incidents in educational environments. However, the SSSC data show an increase in the number of school shootings. Details are discussed below.
List of school shootings by death toll (four or more deaths)
| Date | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 6, 2023 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 4 | 3 | UNLV Shooting: Shooter opened fire at University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| Mar 27, 2023 | Nashville, Tennessee | 7 | 1 | 2023 Nashville School Shooting: Aiden Hale killed 6 at Covenant School |
| Feb 13, 2023 | East Lansing, Michigan | 4 | 5 | 2023 Michigan State University Shooting: Shooter killed 3, wounded 5 |
| May 24, 2022 | Uvalde, Texas | 22 | 18 | Robb Elementary School Shooting: Salvador Ramos killed 21 at an elementary school |
| Nov 30, 2021 | Oxford, Michigan | 4 | 7 | 2021 Oxford High School Shooting: 15-year-old student opened fire, arrested |
| May 18, 2018 | Santa Fe, Texas | 10 | 14 | 2018 Santa Fe High School Shooting: Dimitrios Pagourtzis killed 10, injured 13 |
| Feb 14, 2018 | Parkland, Florida | 17 | 17 | Parkland High School Shooting: Nikolas Cruz killed 17, injured 17 |
| Nov 14, 2017 | Rancho Tehama, California | 6 | 18 | Rancho Tehama Shootings: Kevin Neal killed 6, injured 18 |
| Oct 1, 2015 | Roseburg, Oregon | 10 | 9 | 2015 Umpqua Community College Shooting: Christopher Harper-Mercer killed 10 |
| Oct 24, 2014 | Marysville, Washington | 5 | 1 | 2014 Marysville Pilchuck High School Shooting: Jaylen Fryberg killed 5 |
| Jun 7, 2013 | Santa Monica, California | 6 | 4 | 2013 Santa Monica Shootings: John Zawahri killed 6, wounded 4 |
| Dec 14, 2012 | Newtown, Connecticut | 28 | 2 | Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting: Adam Lanza killed 26, injured 2 |
| Apr 2, 2012 | Oakland, California | 7 | 3 | 2012 Oikos University Shooting: One L. Goh killed 7, wounded 3 |
| Feb 14, 2008 | DeKalb, Illinois | 6 | 21 | Northern Illinois University Shooting: Steven Kazmierczak killed 5, injured 21 |
| Apr 16, 2007 | Blacksburg, Virginia | 33 | 23 | Virginia Tech Shooting: Seung-Hui Cho killed 32, injured 23 |
| Oct 2, 2006 | Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania | 6 | 3 | 2006 West Nickel Mines School Shooting: Charles Carl Roberts IV killed 5 |
| Mar 21, 2005 | Red Lake, Minnesota | 10 | 7 | Red Lake Shootings: Jeff Weise killed 10, injured 7 |
| Oct 28, 2002 | Tucson, Arizona | 4 | 0 | Robert Stewart Flores Jr. killed 3 at the University of Arizona |
| Apr 20, 1999 | Columbine, Colorado | 15 | 21 | Columbine High School Massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 15 |
| May 21, 1998 | Springfield, Oregon | 4 | 25 | 1998 Thurston High School Shooting: Kip Kinkel killed 2, wounded 25 |
| Mar 24, 1998 | Craighead County, Arkansas | 5 | 10 | 1998 Westside Middle School Shooting: Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden killed 5 |
| May 1, 1992 | Olivehurst, California | 4 | 10 | 1992 Lindhurst High School Shooting: Eric Houston killed 4, wounded 10 |
| Nov 1, 1991 | Iowa City, Iowa | 6 | 1 | 1991 University of Iowa Shooting: Gang Lu killed 5, wounded 1 |
| Jan 17, 1989 | Stockton, California | 6 | 32 | 1989 Cleveland Elementary School Shooting: Patrick Edward Purdy killed 5 |
| Jul 12, 1976 | Fullerton, California | 7 | 2 | 1976 California State University, Fullerton Massacre: Edward Charles Allaway |
| May 4, 1970 | Kent, Ohio | 4 | 9 | Kent State Shootings: National Guard opened fire on unarmed students, killing 4 |
| Nov 12, 1966 | Mesa, Arizona | 5 | 2 | 1966 Rose-Mar College of Beauty Shooting: Robert Benjamin Smith killed 5 |
| Aug 1, 1966 | Austin, Texas | 18 | 31 | University of Texas Tower Shooting: Charles Whitman killed 16, injured 31 |
| May 6, 1940 | South Pasadena, California | 5 | 2 | Verlin Spencer shot and killed 5, injured 2 |
| Dec 13, 1898 | Charleston, West Virginia | 6 | 1+ | School exhibition altercation resulted in 6 deaths and 1+ injuries |
| Mar 26, 1893 | Plain Dealing, Louisiana | 4 | 1 | Evening school dance fight at Plain Dealing High School resulted in 4 deaths |
| Jul 26, 1764 | Greencastle, Pennsylvania | 11 | 1 | Enoch Brown School Massacre: Four Delaware American Indians killed 11 |
School shootings in US History
School shooting, in the typical case, an event in which a student at an educational institution—an elementary, middle, or high school or a college or university—shoots and injures or kills at least one other student or faculty member on the grounds of that institution. Such incidents usually involve multiple deaths.
Rampage school shootings are a type of school shooting where no single or specific individual is targeted by the shooter. Although school shootings occur worldwide, the United States has been the scene of the vast majority of the attacks, especially since the late 20th century.
Although school shootings have a long history in the United States, the 1990s were a pivotal point, with high-profile occurrences in such cities as Pearl, Mississippi (1997); West Paducah, Kentucky (1997); Springfield, Oregon (1998); and Jonesboro, Arkansas (1998). However, it was the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in 1999 that brought particular urgency to the issue. In that attack, two students—Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold—killed 13 people before taking their own lives. The shootings garnered massive media attention and sparked a national debate on gun violence. In addition, some schools began taking extra security precautions.
Despite such efforts, school shootings continued, with multiple attacks taking place each year. In 2007 there were about 10 such shootings, the most notable of which occurred at Virginia Tech, where 32 people were killed before the gunman, Cho Seung-Hui from South Korea, took his own life. Later high-profile attacks included an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 27 people before committing suicide; shortly before the attack he had also killed his mother in their home. The shooting garnered particular attention due to the age of the victims: 20 of those killed were 6–7 years old.
Incidents of school shootings
| Date | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 6, 2023 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 4 | 3 | UNLV Shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| Mar 27, 2023 | Nashville, Tennessee | 7 | 1 | 2023 Nashville School Shooting at the Covenant School |
| Feb 13, 2023 | East Lansing, Michigan | 4 | 5 | 2023 Michigan State University Shooting |
| May 24, 2022 | Uvalde, Texas | 22 | 18 | Robb Elementary School Shooting by Salvador Ramos |
| Nov 30, 2021 | Oxford, Michigan | 4 | 7 | 2021 Oxford High School Shooting by a 15-year-old student |
| May 18, 2018 | Santa Fe, Texas | 10 | 14 | 2018 Santa Fe High School Shooting by Dimitrios Pagourtzis |
| Feb 14, 2018 | Parkland, Florida | 17 | 17 | Parkland High School Shooting by Nikolas Cruz |
| Nov 14, 2017 | Rancho Tehama, California | 6 | 18 | Rancho Tehama Shootings by Kevin Neal |
| Oct 1, 2015 | Roseburg, Oregon | 10 | 9 | 2015 Umpqua Community College Shooting by Christopher Harper-Mercer |
| Oct 24, 2014 | Marysville, Washington | 5 | 1 | 2014 Marysville Pilchuck High School Shooting by Jaylen Fryberg |
Frequently Asked Question
Discuss the importance of reporting any concerns, teach them about emergency procedures, and reassure them that adults are working to keep them safe. Encourage open communication.
The debate around gun control involves discussions about limiting access to firearms to reduce the likelihood of gun-related incidents, including school shootings.
Warning signs may include changes in behavior, expressions of violence or aggression, social isolation, and a preoccupation with violence. However, it’s essential to avoid stigmatizing individuals based on these signs alone.
Warning signs may include changes in behavior, expressions of violence or aggression, social isolation, and a preoccupation with violence. However, it’s essential to avoid stigmatizing individuals based on these signs alone.
