As Back-to-School Season Kicks Off, New Everytown Report Finds 31 Percent Increase in Gunfire on School Grounds During 2023-2024 Academic Year 

Report Finds at Least 144 Incidents of Gunfire on School Grounds Resulting in 36 Killed and 87 Wounded During the Last School Year; Second-Highest Number of Shootings at K-12 Schools Since 2013

NEW YORK – As back-to-school season kicks off, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, alongside K-12 School Shooting Database Founder and Researcher David Riedman, today released a new report highlighting the sharp increase in the number of incidents of gunfire on school grounds during the 2023-2024 academic year. 

According to the report, the 2023-2024 school year saw the second-highest number of shootings at K-12 schools since Everytown started tracking these incidents over a decade ago. There were at least 144 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, a 31 percent increase from the prior school year, resulting in 36 killed and 87 wounded. Students made up nearly four in ten of those shot—a total of 46 students. 

“We deserve to go to class free from the threat of gun violence. But we’re going back this fall as gun violence is increasing in our schools and more states have allowed teachers to carry guns. How can we live, let alone learn, in that kind of an environment?” said Stella Kaye, a gun violence survivor and a Students Demand Action National Organizing Board member. “Our biggest concern should be finding the right classroom, not the closest exit. Students are demanding a future free from gun violence and we won’t stop until that goal becomes a reality.”

“School is the last place where kids should have to worry about gun violence, yet we saw the number of incidents of gunfire on school grounds increase last year. Meanwhile, lawmakers are asking educators to carry guns in schools instead of passing common-sense gun safety laws that will prevent guns from entering schools in the first place,” said Sarah Burd-Sharps, Senior Director of Research at Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. “If more guns in more places made us safer, we’d be the safest country in the world. Instead, gun violence serves as the leading cause of death for children and teens in America. Our children deserve better.”

“To implement successful interventions, we need to realize that the characteristics of these school shootings are changing,” said David Riedman, creator of the K-12 School Shooting Database, host of the weekly Back to School Shootings podcast, and a tenure-track professor at Idaho State University. “Easy access to firearms is driving the spike in these incidents. Solutions must include a combination of secure firearm storage at home, common sense gun laws, community-based violence intervention programs, and school-based programs that create a trusting environment without arming teachers – a practice shown to be ineffective and dangerous.” 

As extremist lawmakers continue to focus on arming teachers and pushing more guns in more places, the threat of gun violence in schools is greater than ever. Research shows arming teachers does not prevent school shootings – in fact, it indicates that arming teachers increases the risk of gun violence in schools and puts the lives of students, teachers, and law enforcement at risk. Widespread measures like school hardening, automated threat detection, and arming teachers – which is now allowed in 17 states – have not led to fewer shootings. 

Measures to prevent gunfire on school grounds should be comprehensive and evidence-based. Although gunfire on school grounds has increased since the 2020-21 school year, there has been a national decline in overall gun violence since 2023. This decline coincides with a combination of renewed federal action addressing gun violence; state legislation that strengthens gun laws; and increased and sustained funding for violence intervention programs. More information on effective prevention methods can be found here.

August 26–30, 2024 will mark the first annual SMART Week – a time when advocates for public safety will come together to spread the word on the critical importance of secure gun storage to prevent gun violence. SMART Week is built on the foundation of the Be SMART public education program, which promotes secure gun storage as a means to prevent kids under 18 and other unauthorized users from accessing guns. 

In June, the National Education Association, in partnership with the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, released the NEA School Gun Violence Prevention and Response Guide. The comprehensive guide provides resources and practical recommendations to equip educators and others in the school community to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from gun violence in Pre-K–12 schools and institutions of higher education.

When it comes to how children in the US are exposed to gun violence, gunfire at schools is just the tip of the iceberg – every year, more than 4,000 children and teens are shot and killed and over 17,000 more are shot and wounded. An estimated three million children in the U.S. are exposed to shootings per year, with firearms serving as the leading cause of death for children and teens.