School Climate & Safety Interactive

The School Shootings of 2018: What’s Behind the Numbers

By Education Week Staff — December 19, 2018 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

At the start of 2018, Education Week began keeping count of school shootings in which people were injured or killed. Incidents we count involve the discharge of a firearm, occur on K-12 school property or on a school bus or vehicle, and take place while school is in session or during a school-sponsored event. We do not count suicides and self-inflicted injuries. We do not track incidents in which the only shots fired were from a person authorized to carry a gun and who did so in their official capacity. Of the 35 people who died this year, 27 were killed in the mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas.

For the most recent data on school shootings, click here.

2018 TOTALS

v38 18 shooting tracker a

WHERE THE SHOOTINGS HAPPENED

School shootings happened in communities all over the United States in schools and districts of varying sizes. Most were not mass shootings like what took place in Parkland, Fla., and Santa Fe, Texas. How shootings of all sizes affect students and staff who aren’t injured or killed—through exposure to trauma—is often overlooked.

Size of the dots correlates to the number of victims. Click on each dot for more information.

TIMES AND PLACES INCIDENTS OCCURRED

Schools are sometimes responsible for the safety of students outside the traditional school day and outside the school building, such as during sporting events.

v38 18 shooting tracker b

ABOUT THE 25 SUSPECTS

Because school shooters are often students, safety experts recommend that schools invest in prevention efforts, not just hardening security.

v38 18 shooting tracker d

THOSE KILLED IN SCHOOL SHOOTINGS IN 2018

Thirty-five people died in school shootings in 2018. Of those, all but eight were killed in two mass shootings: the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and the May 18 rampage at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. The youngest people killed were 14 years old. The oldest victim was 64.

CONTACT INFORMATION

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

Contributors: Evie Blad, Stacey Decker, Hyon-Young Kim, Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, Lesli A. Maxwell, and Holly Peele
Design & Visualization: Marty Barrick
Images: Getty

Events

Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Boosting Student and Staff Mental Health: What Schools Can Do
Join this free virtual event based on recent reporting on student and staff mental health challenges and how schools have responded.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
Practical Methods for Integrating Computer Science into Core Curriculum
Dive into insights on integrating computer science into core curricula with expert tips and practical strategies to empower students at every grade level.
Content provided by Learning.com

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Climate & Safety Disparities, Bullying, and Corporal Punishment: The Latest Federal Discipline Data
As most schools offered hybrid instruction in 2020-21, Black students and students with disabilities were disproportionately disciplined.
5 min read
The image displays a lonely teenage boy facing away from the camera, sitting on the curb in front of his high school.
Discipline data from the 2020-21 pandemic era, released by the U.S. Department of Education, shows persisting disparities in discipline based on race and disability status.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety From Our Research Center Where Should Students Be Allowed to Use Cellphones? Here’s What Educators Say
There’s a yawning gap between what's permitted and what educators feel should be allowed.
2 min read
Tight crop photo of a student looking at their cellphone during class. The background is blurred, but shows students wearing uniforms.
E+
School Climate & Safety Explainer What Is Restraint and Seclusion? An Explainer
Restraint and seclusion are dangerous practices that are used to control students with disabilities, experts say.
8 min read
schoolboy sitting on a chair isolated in a hallway
DigitalVision/Getty
School Climate & Safety Why These Parents Want Cellphones Banned in Schools
Educators say parents are often quick to push back on cellphone bans in schools, but this parent group is leading the charge.
3 min read
Students' cell phones are collected by school administration before the start of spring break at California City Middle School in California City, Calif., on March 11, 2022.
Students' cellphones are collected by school administration before the start of spring break at California City Middle School in California City, Calif., on March 11, 2022.
Damian Dovarganes/AP