usafacts.org
USAFacts provides recent data on school shootings in the United States, indicating a total of 1,375 school shootings from the 2000–01 to 2021–22 school years, resulting in 515 deaths and 1,161 injuries. The report highlights the peak of incidents during the 2021–22 school year and the common locations for such shootings, including parking lots and areas outside school entrances. The data emphasizes the prevalence of shootings at high schools and their consequential impact on the safety of students and educational environments.
Main Points
Existence of the K–12 SSDB.
The K–12 School Shooting Database (or K–12 SSDB) keeps a collection of metrics on school shootings.
Peak of school shootings and casualties.
The highest number of school shootings and casualties within the reviewed period occurred during the 2021–22 school year.
Common locations for school shootings.
The most frequent location for school shootings are parking lots, followed by areas outside entrances and elsewhere inside the school building.
Insights
From the 2000–01 to 2021–22 school years, there were 1,375 school shootings at public and private elementary and secondary schools, resulting in 515 deaths and 1,161 injuries.
The highest number of school shootings and casualties occurred during the 2021–22 school year, with 327 incidences resulting in 81 deaths and 269 injuries.
Approximately 61.0% of recorded school shootings occurred at high schools, followed by 23.6% at elementary schools, 12.0% at middle or junior high schools, and 3.4% at other educational institutions.
School shootings at college-level institutions are not included in this dataset.
The most common spot for a school shooting was the parking lot, accounting for 28.3% of recorded cases.
Followed by any area directly outside the front or side entrances of the school (20.4%), and then “elsewhere inside of the school building,” meaning any area outside from the classroom, hallways, or basketball court (12.5%).
Links
- K–12 School Shooting Database (or K–12 SSDB)
- crime in the US
- how many high schoolers in the US carry guns
- subscribing to our weekly newsletter