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
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
SchoolWalkouts v3 BS
School Climate & Safety Video Students Want to Feel Safe at School. Here’s What They’re Asking For
Students across the country worry school shootings are becoming routine. So they're walking out of school for "common sense" gun laws.
Lauren Santucci, April 11, 2023
•
2:20
A crowd of high school students stands in front of the Tennessee State Capitol holding protest signs calling for an end to gun violence.
Students protest gun violence in schools in front of the Capitol on April 3, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. The protest was held one week after six people were killed by a shooter at The Covenant School, a private Presbyterian school, in Nashville.
Mark Humphrey/AP
School Climate & Safety After the Nashville Shooting, School Safety Proposals Echo Past Efforts
State and federal lawmakers have proposed increasing school police and arming teachers in response to a shooting at a private school.
Evie Blad, April 6, 2023
•
8 min read
Photo of school security guard.
dlewis33/E+/Getty
Budget & Finance School Shootings: The Long-Term Financial Fallout
A surge in spending on security after school shootings prompted two researchers to examine whether it crowded out spending on instruction.
Mark Lieberman, April 5, 2023
•
5 min read
Families leave a reunification site in Nashville, Tenn., on March 27, 2023, after a shooting at Covenant School in Nashville.
Families leave a reunification site in Nashville, Tenn., on March 27, 2023, after a shooting at The Covenant School.
John Amis/AP
School Climate & Safety What the Tragedy in Nashville Reveals About School Safety
A rapid response, security measures in the building, and warning signs before the attack offer lessons on safety.
Evie Blad & Arianna Prothero, March 28, 2023
•
9 min read
A woman and child bring flowers to lay at the entry to Covenant School which has becomes a memorial for shooting victims, Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.
A woman and child bring flowers on March 28, 2023, to the entry to The Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn., where six people were killed in a mass shooting the day before.
John Amis/AP
School Climate & Safety What We Know About the Nashville School Shooting Victims
The Nashville community mourned the loss of three children and three adults after a shooter attacked The Covenant School.
Libby Stanford & Caitlynn Peetz, March 28, 2023
•
4 min read
Load More ▼