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School Shootings 2009-2018 (CNN)

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School Shootings by Country 2024

Snapshot

  • The United States leads globally in school shootings, with 288 incidents from 2009 to 2018, far surpassing other countries like Mexico and South Africa.

  • Common motivations for school shooters include mental illness, depression, bullying, and a desire for recognition, with minimal influence from entertainment media.

  • While the U.S. averages over 87 school shootings annually, international occurrences also exist, though less frequent, with some linked to terrorism.

  • Data table displays the number of school shootings (primary-university) in which at least one person was shot from January 1, 2009 to May 21, 2018, according to CNN research.
  • Additional shootings since that time include shootings in Serbia and the Czech Republic in 2023.
  • School shootings in the United States have become significantly more frequent in recent years. According to some sources, more than 50 school shootings had been reported in 2024.
  • Different sources use different criteria to determine which events are considered a school shooting. For example, some sources discard events in which shots were fired but no one was hit, or which took place at a university rather than a primary or secondary school. As a result, shooting counts may vary greatly from one source to another.
  • The Violence Project's K-12 School Shooting Database, whose definition of school shootings includes any incident in which "a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time, or day of the week", tracked more than 300 shootings in both 2022 and 2023.
  • Everytown Research defines a school shooting as any incident of gunfire on school grounds and recorded 137 shootings in 2023.
  • Education Week uses a narrower definition and tallied 37 school shootings in 2023.
  • CNN uses its own definition and tracked more than 80 shootings in 2023.
Year
# of Shootings
# of Deaths
# Wounded
20231374294
202218367159
202120249127
2020962445
20191303378
20181056191
2017702047
2016611151
2015663356
2014672349
2013512837

Shootings in US on School Grounds (Elementary through University) by Year

Which country has the most school shootings?

The United States has the most school shootings in the world. 288 school shootings happened in the United States from January 2009 until May 2018.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources