US School Shootings Reach 149 in 2026, Still Far Above Pre-Covid Average
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 17
US School Shootings Reach 149 in 2026, Still Far Above Pre-Covid Average
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 17
Summary
Silver Rail Elementary in Oregon marked the 149th US school shooting of 2026, according to data scientist David Riedman’s K-12 School Shooting Database.
At that pace, 2026 would finish below the 235 shootings recorded in 2025 and 336 in 2024, extending a recent decline that broadly matches falling national crime and gun-violence rates.
Riedman counts any incident in which a gun is fired, brandished with intent to harm, or a bullet hits school property, and he warns that school-shooting definitions remain messy and imperfect.
About 80 shootings a year was the average in the five years before Covid-19, and Riedman said “near-misses” — including foiled attacks and gun malfunctions — have been rising.