Data on School Shootings in Tennessee
October 2023
Authors: Linda Wesson and Lance Iverson
The Tennessee Comptroller's Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) was asked to investigate the number of school shootings at elementary, middle, and high schools in Tennessee.
The primary data source consulted is the K-12 School Shooting Database. School shooting incidents included in the database use the following definition: when a gun is fired or brandished on school property, or when a bullet hits school property, regardless of the number of victims, time, day, or reason. This definition does not include shootings at school-sponsored events that occur off school property, such as a high school sports tournament held at a university or a graduation ceremony held at a community park.