School Shootings

Education news, analysis, and opinion about gun violence at schools and during school events

Tracker

Sign indicating school zone.
School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
Education Week is tracking K-12 school shootings in 2023 with injuries or deaths. See the number of incidents and where they occurred.
View Tracker
Illustration of teen boy making threats on social media.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School Climate & Safety Opinion The Troubling Legal Gap in Schools' Ability to Prevent Mass Shootings
I'm a school district lawyer. You don't want to know how many principals bring me violent threats they're not sure how to act on.
Chris W. McCarty, November 1, 2023
•
5 min read
In an undergraduate public policy course at the University of North Carolina, Simona Goldin asked students, "What do you need now?" just four days after an active shooter killed a faculty member on campus earlier this year. These are their answers.
In an undergraduate public policy course at the University of North Carolina, Simona Goldin asked students, "What do you need now?" just four days after an active shooter killed a faculty member on campus earlier this year. These are their answers.
Courtesy of Simona Goldin
Student Well-Being Opinion ‘What Is a Teacher to Do?’: Returning to the Classroom After a Tragedy
Earlier this year, an active shooter shook my campus. Here are my 3 lessons on preparing for the first day back in front of class.
Simona Goldin, October 26, 2023
•
4 min read
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks to members of the media as crowds of people participate in the "March for Our Lives" rally in support of gun control on March 24, 2018, in San Francisco.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks to members of the media as crowds of people participate in the "March for Our Lives" rally in support of gun control on March 24, 2018, in San Francisco.
Josh Edelson/AP
Federal Dianne Feinstein's Fight to Stop Gun Violence in Schools Central to Her Legacy
The California Senator will be remembered for her strong support of gun restrictions to stop school shootings.
Alyson Klein, September 29, 2023
•
5 min read
Educators with the Benjamin Logan Local School District receive training from the Logan County Sheriff's office to join the district's armed response team in Bellefontaine, Ohio, on June 26, 2023.
Educators with the Benjamin Logan Local School District receive training from the Logan County Sheriff's Office to join the district's Armed Response Team in Bellefontaine, Ohio, on June 26, 2023.
Eli Hiller for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Teachers With Guns: District by District, a Push to Arm Educators Is Growing
The number of districts with armed educators is rising. An inside look at one of them.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 27, 2023
•
12 min read
President Joe Biden speaks about gun safety on Sept. 22, 2023, from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., applauds at left.
President Joe Biden speaks about gun safety on Sept. 22, 2023, from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., applauds at left.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal Biden Credits School Shooting Survivors as He Creates Gun Violence Prevention Office
President Biden announced the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, fulfilling a long-time goal of school shooting survivors.
Evie Blad, September 22, 2023
•
5 min read
A man with grey hair and glasses sits with his chin rested on his folded hands.
Scot Peterson, a former school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, looks in the direction of prosecutors during his trial in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 15, 2023. Jurors acquitted Peterson, a former Broward County sheriff's deputy, of criminal charges for his failure to enter the high school to confront the shooter who killed 17 people and injured 17 others.
Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP
School Climate & Safety Parkland Officer Found Not Guilty in Case That Shed Light on Police Role in School Safety
A jury acquitted the former deputy of all criminal charges connected to his response to the 2018 mass shooting.
Evie Blad, June 29, 2023
•
3 min read
Flowers are placed in front of the Altria Theater which was the site of a mass shooting after a graduation ceremony, June 7, 2023, in Richmond, Va.
Flowers are placed in front of the Altria Theater which was the site of a mass shooting after a graduation ceremony, June 7, 2023, in Richmond, Va.
Steve Helber/AP
School Climate & Safety Superintendent 'Devastated' by Deadly, Post-Graduation Shooting
Violence disrupts a cherished rite of passage.
Caitlyn Meisner, June 7, 2023
•
3 min read
Illustration of a group of people forming the shape of a shield around a school building.
iStock + E+/Getty Images +Education Week
School Climate & Safety Opinion 5 Critical Strategies to Make Your School Safer
There's no single solution to defend students’ physical, mental, and emotional health, but these five actionable steps are a place to start.
Doug Roberts, Ann Levett & Shanna Downs, June 1, 2023
•
5 min read
A mourner stops to pay his respects at a memorial at Robb Elementary School, created to honor the victims killed in the recent school shooting, June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
A mourner stops to pay his respects at a memorial at Robb Elementary School, created to honor the victims killed in the recent school shooting, June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Eric Gay/AP
School Climate & Safety Photo Essay Photos: A Year of Grieving and Struggling for Answers After Uvalde School Shooting
A year after a gunman killed 21 people in a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school, the community still searches for answers.
Evie Blad, May 23, 2023
•
3 min read
Oxford High School student return to school after they walked out of classes on May 26, 2022, in Oxford, Mich., to show their support for the Uvalde, Texas community and the recent mass shooting that occurred at an elementary school. A judge says a lawsuit can go forward against a Michigan school district that is accused of making poor decisions before a teenager killed four fellow students in 2021.
Oxford High School student return to school after they walked out of classes on May 26, 2022, in Oxford, Mich., to show their support for the Uvalde, Texas, community and the recent mass shooting that occurred at an elementary school.
Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press via AP
School & District Management School Shooting Survivors at Odds With District Over Graduation Cords
Oxford graduating seniors want to wear special orange gun violence survivor cords at commencement. But the district says no.
Jennifer Chambers, The Detroit News, May 16, 2023
•
4 min read
Image of a shooting target being covered over by many hands with artwork.
melitas, Benjavisa, and CollideOscope/iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Opinion How Teachers Can Collectively Push Back Against Gun Violence
A teacher educator proposes concrete ways educators can raise their voices alongside parents and youth.
Rebecca Woodard, May 11, 2023
•
5 min read
A male uniformed police officer walks out of a police SUV in front of a sign that says "Richneck Elementary School."
Police respond after a 6-year-old student shot and injured his teacher at Richneck Elementary School on Jan. 6, 2023 in Newport News, Va. Federal legislators are proposing data collection and a more uniform definition of school shootings.
Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot via AP
School Climate & Safety What Counts as a School Shooting? Lawmakers Want an Official Definition
A bill would also require agencies to collect more data on school shootings to guide safety efforts.
Evie Blad, April 28, 2023
•
5 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Letter to the Editor How to Support Students Following a School Shooting
An educator offers seven tips for teachers and parents about how to talk to kids about and help them deal with the aftermath of school shootings.
April 25, 2023
•
1 min read
An illustration of a woman walking a circular path.
iStock/Getty + Vanessa Solis/Education Week
School Climate & Safety Opinion 'Small Actions Matter': A Teacher Reflects on School Shootings Since Sandy Hook
One teacher recalls the emotion of teaching 25 miles from Sandy Hook Elementary School on the day of shooting—and the decade since.
Laura Milligan, April 14, 2023
•
4 min read
Load More ▼