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
Professional Development Webinar
Support Your Newest Teachers with Personalized PD & Coaching
Discover steps you can take to strengthen new teacher support and build long-term capacity in your district.
Content provided by BetterLesson
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
Classroom Technology Webinar
Smartphones and Social Media: Building Policies for Safe Technology Use in Schools
Smartphones and social media are ever present with today’s students. Join this conversation on navigating the challenges and tailoring policy.
Content provided by Panorama Education
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
Don’t Count Them Out: Dyscalculia Support from PreK-Career
Join Dr. Elliott and Dr. Wall as they empower educators to support students with dyscalculia to envision successful careers and leadership roles.
Content provided by TouchMath

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 Tracker School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
Education Week is tracking K-12 school shootings in 2025 with injuries or deaths. See the number of incidents and where they occurred.
3 min read
Sign indicating school zone.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety As Wildfires Devastate Los Angeles, Educators Offer Help and Refuge
As wildfires rip through the region, educators band together for support as they work to help students and families.
9 min read
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 2025.
Ethan Swope/AP
School Climate & Safety School Shootings in 2024: More Than Last Year, But Fewer Deaths
Education Week recorded the second-highest number of school shootings in 2024 since it started tracking the incidents in 2018.
4 min read
Photo of no gun sign on door.
iStock
School Climate & Safety Opinion 'Get Out of the Building Now': A Teacher Reflects on Violence
A bomb threat brings home to a veteran educator why schools and teachers matter.
Adam Patric Miller
3 min read
Illustration of dark tunnel with figure at end.
francescoch/Getty