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

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
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
Smarter Tools, Stronger Outcomes: Empowering CTE Educators With Future-Ready Solutions
Open doors to meaningful, hands-on careers with research-backed insights, ideas, and examples of successful CTE programs.
Content provided by Pearson
Reading & Literacy Webinar Supporting Older Struggling Readers: Tips From Research and Practice
Reading problems are widespread among adolescent learners. Find out how to help students with gaps in foundational reading skills.
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
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Improve Reading Comprehension: Three Tools for Working Memory Challenges
Discover three working memory workarounds to help your students improve reading comprehension and empower them on their reading journey.
Content provided by Solution Tree

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 Q&A Inside the Fear at Chicago Schools Amid Federal Immigration Raids
Sylvelia Pittman has never experienced something like the current federal crackdown in her city.
5 min read
Sylvelia Pittman stands for a portrait outside of Nash Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 30, 2025.
Sylvelia Pittman stands for a portrait outside of Nash Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 30, 2025. She spoke with Education Week about the fears she is grappling with regarding immigration raids and federal agents' increased presence near her school.
Jim Vondruska for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Download How to Use School Security Cameras Effectively: 5 Tips (DOWNLOADABLE)
Smart, thoughtful use of security cameras can help bolster the safety of schools, experts say.
1 min read
A photo showing a CCTV security eye style camera monitoring students in a classroom. The classroom is blurred in the background while the camera is in focus.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety From Our Research Center Security Cameras Are Everywhere in Schools. Do They Work?
The effectiveness of security camera systems is often compromised by lack of investment in upkeep and training.
6 min read
A camera with facial recognition capabilities hangs from a wall while being installed at Lockport High School in Lockport, N.Y., on July 10, 2018.
A camera with facial recognition capabilities hangs from a wall while being installed at Lockport High School in Lockport, N.Y., on July 10, 2018. Lackluster maintenance of security cameras in many schools compromises their effectiveness.
Carolyn Thompson/AP
School Climate & Safety Download Student Safety: Everything You Need to Know About Heat Stroke
As summer heat waves stretch later into fall—and with higher temperatures arriving earlier in spring—protecting student-athletes from heat-related illnesses has become a year-round concern.
Junior Ryan Edson takes a drink of water during a morning football practice at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2025.
Junior Ryan Edson takes a drink of water during a morning football practice at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2025.
Noah Devereaux for Education Week