Request a Demo

Shedding Light on Safety: Analyzing the Statistics of Gun-Related Incidents in Schools

by | May 15, 2024 | Reporting, Behavior Analysis, Security

"A group of distressed young students walks away from a school, holding each other's shoulders. The overlaid text reads, '23% of K-12 teachers experienced a gun-related lockdown during the 2022-23 school year.'"

 Updated as of May 15th, 2024

According to research conducted by the Gun Violence Archive, from 2014 to April 18, 2024, there have been 536 school shooting incidents in the United States. That is a staggering number to digest if you also take into account that the number of school shooting incidents from 2008 to 2023 increased by 128%.

With gun-related school incidents seemingly on the rise, it is no surprise that teachers, students, and staff are concerned about something happening at their school. In this blog, we will explore the statistics revolving around gun-related incidents and lockdowns and what strategies are popular with teachers on how to prevent such occurrences. 

School Shooting Statistics

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 59% of K-12 teachers are at least somewhat worried about the possibility of a shooting happening at their school. The level of concern surrounding a possible school shooting is understandable, with 2023 having a record-high number of school shootings at 82.

A pie chart with green and white text.

In contrast to the majority who express varying degrees of concern, Figure 1 reveals that a notable 7% of teachers are not worried at all about the prospect of a shooting occurring at their school. This disparity in perception may lead to insights into the varying levels of school safety prevention measures.

Gun-Related Lockdowns

Since the infamous shooting at Columbine High School on April 20th, 1999, Lockdowns have been paramount in schools across the United States to protect students and staff from active assailants.

a graph of a teacher

In Figure 2, we can see that during the 2022-23 school year, 23% of K-12 teachers had experienced a lockdown because of a gun or suspicion of a gun at their school, with 8% indicating that it happened more than once that year. 

Between the different grade levels of schooling, high school teachers are the most likely to experience a gun-related lockdown, with 34% having at least one in the 2022-23 school year. This compares with 22% of middle and 16% of elementary school teachers.

According to the data in Figure 2, teachers in urban areas are more likely to experience a gun-related lockdown compared to the least possible area being schools in the suburbs at 19%.

Active Defender’s Drill Mode

Active Defender’s School Safety Platform has a “Drill Mode” feature that allows schools to practice fire, lockdown, and severe weather drills without notifying first responders. Book an interactive demo today to see how our “Drill Mode” looks and feels!

School Violence Prevention

Of the over 2,500 teachers surveyed during the Pew Research survey, 39% stated their school has done a fair or poor job providing them with the training and resources they need to deal with a potential active shooter (Pew Research Center). With that number in mind, let’s look at the top 3 teacher-proposed strategies to prevent school violence.

According to Figure 3, the third most popular strategy to prevent school shootings is for schools to install metal detectors, with 33% of teachers indicating it would be highly effective. The second most popular strategy, which 49% of teachers think will be highly effective, is having an armed guard or School Resource Officer on campus. 

The number one strategy to prevent school shootings that 69% of teachers found to be the most effective is to improve mental health screening and treatment for children and adults. 

Active Defender’s Student Behavior Analysis Reporting Feature

With Active Defender’s Student Behavior Analysis Reporting feature, school administrators, staff, and teachers can identify and streamline the process of analyzing student behavior, reporting detailed concerns to appropriate school staff, and documenting outcomes.

Who is Active Defender?

Active Defender’s School Safety Platform revolutionizes emergency alerting and communication and provides the most comprehensive situational awareness available during a crisis. With Active Defender, ALL staff can immediately know WHAT the threat is, WHERE it is, understand WHAT TO DO, and REPORT their STATUS on a custom, dynamic campus map on their mobile device.

To learn more, visit Active Defender or take the first step in enhancing your school’s safety today by booking an interactive demo!