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 & Movement K-12 Essentials Forum How Schools Are Teaching Students Life Skills
Join this free virtual event to explore creative ways schools have found to seamlessly integrate teaching life skills into the school day.
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
Special Education Webinar
Bridging the Math Gap: What’s New in Dyscalculia Identification, Instruction & State Action
Discover the latest dyscalculia research insights, state-level policy trends, and classroom strategies to make math more accessible for all.
Content provided by TouchMath
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
School & District Management Webinar
Too Many Initiatives, Not Enough Alignment: A Change Management Playbook for Leaders
Learn how leadership teams can increase alignment and evaluate every program, practice, and purchase against a clear strategic plan.
Content provided by Otus

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 4 Ways Schools Can Build a Stronger, Safer Climate
A principal, a student, and a researcher discuss what makes a positive school climate.
4 min read
A 5th grade math class takes place at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
Research shows that a positive school climate serves as a protective factor for young people, improving students’ education outcomes and well-being during their academic careers and beyond. A student raises her hand during a 5th grade class in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Schools Flag Safety Incidents As Driverless Cars Enter More Cities
Agencies are examining reports of Waymos illegally passing buses; in another case, one struck a student.
5 min read
In an aerial view, Waymo robotaxis sit parked at a Waymo facility on Dec. 8, 2025 , in San Francisco . Self-driving taxi company Waymo said it is voluntarily recalling software in its autonomous vehicles after Texas officials documented at least 19 incidents this school year in which the cars illegally passed stopped school buses, including while students were getting on or off.
Waymo self-driving taxis sit parked at a Waymo facility on Dec. 8, 2025, in San Francisco. Federal agencies are investigating after Austin, Texas, schools documented incidents in which the cars illegally passed stopped school buses. In a separate incident, a robotaxi struck a student at low speed as she ran across the street in front of her Santa Monica, Calif., elementary school.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via TNS
School Climate & Safety Informal Classroom Discipline Is Hard to Track, Raising Big Equity Concerns
Without adequate support, teachers might resort to these tactics to circumvent prohibitions on suspensions.
5 min read
Image of a student sitting outside of a doorway.
DigitalVision
School Climate & Safety Officer's Acquittal Brings Uvalde Attack's Other Criminal Case to the Forefront
Legal experts say that prosecutors will likely consider changes to how they present evidence and witness testimony.
4 min read
Former Uvalde school district police officer Adrian Gonzales, left, talks to his defense attorney Nico LaHood during a break on the 10th day of his trial at Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
Former Uvalde school district police officer Adrian Gonzales, left, talks to his defense attorney Nico LaHood during a break on the 10th day of his trial at Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. Jurors found Gonzales not guilty.
Sam Owens/Pool