Dallas, Texas — The number of school shootings in the United States has seen a significant decrease in 2025, marking the lowest figures since 2020. According to a tracker by Education Week, there were 17 school shootings that resulted in injuries or fatalities this year—less than half of the incidents recorded annually over the previous four years.
This year, seven individuals lost their lives due to school shootings, a stark drop from 18 in 2024, 21 in 2023, and 40 in 2022. Notably, 2025 also witnessed a record stretch without any school shootings: 111 days from May 7 to August 27, the longest period since the onset of the pandemic in 2020 when many schools were closed for safety.
Despite these encouraging statistics, the reasons behind the decline remain unclear. Other sources have also reported reductions in mass shootings and violence throughout the country, adding to the complexity of understanding these trends. The impact of gun violence extends deeply into the lives of students, teachers, families, and entire communities, often leaving lasting scars regardless of the extent of media coverage or the outcome of incidents.
Education Week’s tracker has been operational since 2018, a timeframe that began shortly before the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which claimed the lives of 14 students and three staff members. To date, the tracker has identified 238 school shootings where at least one person, aside from the shooter, was injured by gunfire on school grounds during sessions or school-sponsored events. Different methods of tracking may yield higher numbers due to differing definitions and criteria for inclusion.
In terms of mass shootings, only two incidents in 2025 met the Gun Violence Archive’s criteria, in which four or more individuals aside from the shooter were harmed. This figure represents a notable decline from previous years, including nine mass shootings in 2022, the highest since tracking began. The year began with the first mass shooting on April 15 at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas, leaving six injured but no fatalities. Another mass shooting occurred on August 27 during a school Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, resulting in two deaths and 21 injuries—the most since the tragic 2022 Uvalde incident.
Overall, 2025’s total school shooting fatalities stood at seven, with an additional 43 injuries reported. This year’s data marks a significant decrease in casualties, with only one year since 2018, 2020, experiencing fewer deaths from school shootings, when pandemic-related closures brought many incidents to a standstill.
Since tracking began in 2018, a cumulative total of 147 individuals have died in school shooting events, including 106 children, with injuries affecting an additional 419 people. Observers continue to monitor statistics closely, with ongoing discussions about approaches to mitigate these tragic incidents. A recent shooting on December 12 at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia, has not yet met the criteria for inclusion in the tracker, revealing the complexities in documenting these events accurately. As more information becomes available, it could alter the current assessments.