Document Type

Honors Project - Open Access

Abstract

Shootings in schools have risen dramatically over the last two decades and are one of the most pressing issues today. Between 2006 and 2016, Texas high schools suffered from 19 shootings and one fatality on school grounds. This study analyzes the impact of school shootings on educational outcomes for students of different socioeconomic status using public education data from Texas at the high school campus level. I first used matched difference in differences and matched triple difference in differences methods, however, these suffer from biases because of heterogeneous timing of treatment. To adjust for this, I include an event study analysis as the primary empirical method. I find that attendance rates, dropout rates, four year graduation rates, and enrollment are unaffected, but some evidence may show dropout rates increased after a shooting for the first two years. Students of different socioeconomic backgrounds are not differently impacted by school shootings, showing that any effects are widespread across the student body contrary to theory in psychology. Enrollment of economically advantaged students falls after a school shooting compared to economically disadvantaged students, showing potential mobility differences between the two groups. Overall, my findings suggest that little to no effects of school shootings on academic outcomes are detectable at the campus level.

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