31,000 children affected across 21 states: 2024 school shootings in numbers

The shooting Monday at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin’s capital, which killed a student and a teacher and wounded six others, has left the community reeling. The shooter, a 15-year-old girl, also died, apparently from a self-inflicted wound, police said.

The shooting at the K-12 school has captured particular attention nationwide, in part due to the young age of the children affected; Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes emphasized that the 911 call came from a second-grade teacher. It also stands out because few school shooters in the United States are female.

This shooting is the latest act of violence to strike America - over 31,000 children have been affected by a shooting on a K-12 campus during school hours this year alone, according to The Washington Post’s School Shooting tracker. While school shootings remain relatively rare, guns are brought to school nearly every day.

The federal government does not track school shootings, so The Washington Post has spent years tracking how many children in the United States have been exposed to gun violence during school hours since the Columbine High massacre in 1999.

Here are some key figures about school shootings and the children affected by them.

Over 31,000

The number of K-12 students who experienced a school shooting this year alone, according to The Post’s data.

13

The number of people killed in school shootings since the start of the year - including the teenage student and teacher who were killed at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday. Almost 50 others who were shot this year survived.

21

The number of states where school shootings have taken place this year, in addition to the District of Columbia.

426

The number of school shootings since the Columbine High massacre of April 20, 1999, in which 12 students and one teacher were killed. (Monday’s shooting also came days after the 12th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 26 people.)

215

The number of people - including children and educators - who have been killed in school shootings since Columbine, according to The Post’s tracker. Almost 500 others have been wounded.

270

The number of children who were present at Abundant Life Christian School when Monday’s shooting began.

9

The number of school shootings that appear to have been carried out by a female student since Columbine, according to The Post’s analysis. Monday’s shooter was identified as Natalie Rupnow, who police said went by the name Samantha. Just 4 percent of school shooters are female, The Post has reported.

16

The median age of school shooters, according to The Post’s analysis.

6

The age of the youngest shooters tracked by The Post, in cases where the age of the shooter was known.

86

The percentage of weapons used in school shootings that originated from the homes of friends, relatives or parents, in cases where the source of the gun could be determined, according The Post’s tracker. More than half of school shootings in the United States were carried out by children - none of which would be possible if those children didn’t have access to firearms.

5

The number of shooters who have died in a school shooting so far this year.

- - -

John Woodrow Cox and Lucas Trevor contributed to this report.