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School Climate & Safety Infographic

School Shootings in 2021: 4 Takeaways, in Charts

Here鈥檚 what we know about school shootings this year
By Stacey Decker, Hyon-Young Kim & Holly Peele 鈥 December 20, 2021 | Updated: October 31, 2022 3 min read
Illustration of a gun and a school in the background.
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Updated: This page has been updated with data from an incident that occurred Aug. 27, 2021, in Hammond, Ind.

During the first year or so of the pandemic, when in-person schooling was paused in many parts of the country, school shootings declined.

It was a temporary reprieve.

In 2021, based on data collected by 澳门跑狗论坛, there were 35 school shootings鈥攁 record high since we began tracking school shootings in 2018. Most of the incidents鈥25鈥攈ave occurred since August, when schools reopened for in-person schooling on a wide scale. It鈥檚 an alarming pace of gun violence.

See Also

Police respond to the scene of a shooting on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021 in Memphis, Tenn. Authorities say a boy was shot and wounded at a school. Memphis Police said in a statement that the shooting was reported Thursday morning at Cummings School, which includes grades kindergarten through eighth.
Police respond to a shooting at a K-8 public school on Sept. 30 in Memphis, Tenn. Authorities say a boy was shot and wounded at a school.
Adrian Sainz/AP
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On Aug. 13, a 13-year-old boy shot and killed another 13-year-old student during lunch hour in a New Mexico schoolyard. Police say the victim .

On Aug. 27, 8-year-old Fanta Bility was killed when gunfire erupted outside a high school football game near Philadelphia. Officials say .

Then on Nov. 30, tragedy struck Oxford, Mich. Four students were killed when a 15-year-old sophomore opened fire at his high school . It was the deadliest school shooting since May 2018.

These incidents were just 3 of the 35 included in 澳门跑狗论坛鈥檚 2021 school shooting tracker.

What defines a school shooting? At 澳门跑狗论坛, we count incidents where at least one person, other than the individual firing the weapon, is injured by gunfire on school property when school is in session or during a school-sponsored event. Our criteria differs from those of other organizations that also track shootings in schools. But it is clearly outlined and consistently applied with meticulous care.

Why track school shootings? 鈥淭his is the worst nightmare a school district could ever face.鈥 That鈥檚 how Chad Martin, the superintendent of the Jefferson school district in Idaho, responded when earlier this year.

Although school shootings are statistically rare, when gun violence touches a school, it sets off a cascade of fear, pain, grief, and a search for meaning. At the same time, it ignites a search for solutions and debates about how to best keep schools safe.

By tracking school shootings, we aim to provide reliable information to help inform those conversations. Tracking school shootings is complex, and at times heartbreaking. But it鈥檚 also a key component to understanding the impact of gun violence on schools.

What do we know about school shootings in 2021?

Here are four takeaways:

1. 2021 had the most school shootings in the past four years

This is a record high since 澳门跑狗论坛 began tracking school shootings in 2018.

2. Since the start of the school year, there鈥檚 been an alarming increase in shootings

Many schools were operating remotely this past spring due to the pandemic. Since the fall, when most resumed in-person instruction, school shootings are up significantly compared to past years.

The 25 school shootings since Aug. 1 of this year exceeds the number of shootings during the same time period in the previous three years combined.

3. More people were killed in school shootings this year than in 2019 and 2020 combined

However, 2018 remains the deadliest year for school shootings since 澳门跑狗论坛 began tracking them four years ago.

4. A significant portion of this year鈥檚 school shootings, 34%, happened at sporting events

This continues a trend seen in previous years. In fact, school leaders often grapple with their role in keeping sport venues safe.

Contact Information

For media or research inquiries about this page, contact library@educationweek.org.

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