248 Killed or Injured in 346 School Shooting Incidents in US in 2023
School shooting incidents in the US have reached record high with a continuous record breaking high number for the third year in a row. There were a total of 346 school shooting incidents in the US in 2023 killing or injuring 248 students and staff members excluding the shooters. This means that on an average, 1 shooting incident was recorded on each day of the year.
The incident at Perry high school Iowa, was the fourth school shooting incident in the U.S. in 2024. According to the new federal, schools are suffering an alarming rise in shooting incidents.
School shootings reached yet another unprecedented high in 2023, outpacing the previous year’s record for the third year in a row.
Schools in the United States are suffering an alarming rise in shootings, according to new federal data that shows the number of incidents reaching a historic peak for the second year running.
Data compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) records that in 2021-22 public and private schools, spanning both elementary and secondary levels, incurred a total of 327 shootings – a record high. The incidents involved a gun being. The number have increased significantly after 2018. Here are details from NCES database.
Shooting incidents prior to 2018
The number of school shooting incidents per year remained under 60 prior to 2018. But after 2018, the numbers have multiplied. 2018 and 2021 in particular saw notable spikes, with the number of incidents doubling year over year. The number is increasing ever since.
Similarly, the number of victims killed or wounded prior to 2018 never reached 100 in a year, but 2023 saw more than twice that figure. At the same time, while incidents rose in 2023 compared with 2022, the number of victims declined by about 10%.
School shooting incidents in 2018-2023
More than 1200 school shooting incidents happened between 2018 and 2023, resulting in more than 1,000 victims. Texas saw the highest number of casualties among states, at 21 victims in 2023, followed by Maryland (20) and California (18).
Public Security Measures at School
The NCES report shows that public schools across the country are taking extraordinary security measures to avoid such incidents. 97% of schools now control access to their premises, 91% use security cameras, and 65% have security staff present at least one day a week.
The number of schools providing mental health assessments to evaluate students’ mental health disorders has also increased significantly.
