what state had the highest school shooters

California had the highest number of school-shooting incidents in one recent state-by-state ranking, with Texas and Florida following behind. Another source found California and Ohio tied for the most incidents in 2023, while Texas had the highest number of casualties that year.

What that means

This question can mean two different things: the state with the most incidents or the state with the most victims/casualties. Those are not always the same, so the answer changes depending on which measure you mean.

Recent figures

• California: 206 incidents in one statewide ranking.

• Texas: 165 incidents in that same ranking, and 21 victims in 2023 in another dataset.

• Ohio: tied with California for the most incidents in 2023 at 25.

Important note

These counts vary by source because different organizations use different definitions for “school shooting,” such as whether they include all on-campus firearm incidents or only shootings that caused injuries or deaths.

Safer wording

If you want to be precise, ask: “Which state had the most school-shooting incidents?” or “Which state had the most casualties from school shootings?”