According to recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of school shootings in the United States that resulted in casualties reached a new high during the 2021-22 school year and more than doubled compared to the previous school year. This set a new record.
Why it matters: This is now the second school year in a row that the United States has broken this record, making it significant.
- The report defines a school shooting as an incident where “a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time of day, or day of week.”
- Casualties, per the report, include someone killed or wounded in a school shooting.
- The report noted that shootings that occurred during the COVID pandemic “on school property during remote instruction” were within that definition.
By the numbers: According to the annual report, which focuses on crime and safety, there were 188 school shootings with casualties reported during the 2021-22 school year at public and private elementary and secondary schools. These shootings took place at both public and private primary and secondary schools.
- That’s up from 93 school shootings with casualties reported in the 2020-21 school year at the same types of institutions.
- According to the report, the most commonly known situations associated with such incidents included “escalation of dispute,” “drive-by,” “illegal activity,” “accidental firing of a weapon” and “intentional property damage.”
You can check the additional news:
- UNC Newspaper Puts Students Messages From School Shooting On Front Page!
- One Student Fatally Shot, 2 Injured in Greensburg, Louisiana School Shooting!
About a third of the school shootings in the 2021-22 school year had an unknown situation associated with them.
- “The number of wounded and the number killed during active shooter incidents showed no consistent trend over the period at the elementary and secondary level or at the postsecondary level,” per the report, which tracked data since the 2000-01 school year.
- “At both levels, in years with casualties, there are more years where the number wounded was higher than the number killed,” according to the report.
The report also urged readers to “interpret these data with caution” given that latest figures are “outliers compared to prior years.”
- Though the number of school shootings with casualties spiked in the 2021-22 school year, the previous school year had already seen the highest number of school shootings with casualties in two decades.
Between the lines: Nearly 98% of the shooters at elementary and secondary schools between 2000 and 2021 were male. Stay tuned BLHS News for more updates and news.
Patricia Gault is a seasoned journalist with years of experience in the industry. She has a passion for uncovering the truth and bringing important stories to light. Patricia has a sharp eye for detail and a talent for making complex issues accessible to a broad audience. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a commitment to accuracy and impartiality, earning a reputation as a reliable and trusted source of news.