US School Violence Fast Facts
Here is a list of incidents of elementary, middle and high school violence with at least one fatality, from 1927 to the present. Suicides, gang-related incidents and deaths resulting from domestic conflicts are not included. If a perpetrator was killed or died by suicide during the incident, their death is not included in the fatality totals.
Because there is no central database tracking school violence incidents, this list is based primarily on media reports and may not be complete or representative of all incidents.
US Timeline (selected only)
March 1, 2021 – Watson Chapel Junior High – Pine Bluff, Arkansas. A student is fatally shot, and a 15-year-old male suspect is arrested.
May 18, 2018 – Santa Fe High School – Santa Fe, Texas. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, allegedly opens fire killing 10 and injuring 13. Pagourtzis is arrested and charged with capital murder and aggravated assault of a public servant. In November 2019, he is declared mentally incompetent to stand trial.
January 23, 2018 – Marshall County High School – Benton, Kentucky. Gabriel R. Parker, 15, allegedly opens fire killing two and injuring 18 others. The suspect is arrested at the scene and later charged with two counts of murder and 14 counts of first degree assault.
December 7, 2017 – Aztec High School – Aztec, New Mexico. William Atchison shoots and kills students Casey Jordan Marquez and Francisco Fernandez. Atchison, a former student at the high school, dies of what police believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Which Pa. schools had the largest number of arrests in 2019-20?
Updated Feb 15, 2021;
The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s annual Safe Schools report for the 2019-20 school year showed a noticeable drop in reported arrests.
Districts are required to submit their misconduct reports, both criminal and academic infractions, to the state every year. Reporting sometimes changes from year-to-year, but no changes were made last school year.
Last year, the top three criminal reasons why students were in trouble statewide were:
Possession, use, or sale of tobacco or vaping 8.34 percent
Fighting 8.14 percent
Minor altercation 5.42 percent
Here’s a list of the schools that had the largest number of arrests, and the crime that was most common at each school.