Over the past three years, there’s been a steady increase in the number of school shootings happening on school grounds. In fact, that number has nearly tripled since 2020, the last time we’ve seen a slight dip in such instances.
That’s according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, a compilation of data tracking the number of cases where a gun was fired on school campuses. The data goes as far back as 1966 when the year’s tally topped out at just nine shootings. Fast forward to 2023, we’re seeing record-breaking numbers.
The data suggests there were at least 346 school shootings during 2023, surpassing the previous year’s 308 and 2021’s tally of 256. As of Jan. 3 this year, there’s already been one shooting recorded in the data.
Over the past decade, you’ll find that the data shows stark contrasts in the number of shootings, especially in 2018 when the number of shootings reached triple digits for the first time.
A detailed look at the shootings
The database also provides insight into how and where these shootings occurred, giving education leaders and security professionals an idea of how they can better bolster their safety measures.
To no surprise, school shootings most commonly arise as a result of an escalation of a dispute, followed by “accidental” and drive-by shootings.
As far as the location of these shootings go, they most frequently happen in school parking lots, followed by in front of the school and beside the building. Other locations include football fields, school buses, classrooms and hallways.
Most notably, these shootings occur primarily in the morning and during sporting events. We saw this happen several times throughout 2023, like when one 15-year-old was arrested in August for second-degree murder after they opened fire during a football game at Choctaw High School, according to ABC News. Also last year, we witnessed the tragedy that unfolded in Nashville as six people lost their lives in a shooting caused by Audrey Hale, a former student at The Covenant School, around 10 a.m. on March 27, shortly after school started for the day.
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In 2024, district leaders are already taking steps to ensure that the year is off to a safer start. Charles County Public Schools in Maryland is incorporating a systemwide safety plan for athletic events, according to The BayNet. The plan includes a tiered list of action plans administrators and other employees must follow when security changes for a particular event are needed. At any given time, concessions may be limited or suspended, students must be attended by chaperones, and in the most extreme cases, spectators won’t be allowed at an event.
In Texas’ Fort Bend ISD, all elementary schools will have armed security officers starting Jan. 4 when students return to classes from winter break, ABC 13 reports. According to the district, they’re able to use money from the recent voter-approved tax rate election, which covers the cost of hiring armed guards at each of its 51 elementary campuses.
“The uniformed presence allows for immediate recognition by students, staff and visitors who may need assistance as well as providing an immediate visual deterrence for a person who may pose a threat,” according to the district’s website.
