Sign up for Chalkbeat Philadelphia’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system.About a third of all shooting victims in Philadelphia this year were age 22 or under, or what the School District of Philadelphia calls “school-aged youth.” That ratio has held steady since 2024, even as the total number of shooting victims has been declining, according to city data. It’s why district analysts are taking a closer look at which youth get shot, and where and when those shootings occur.Of the 230 school-aged youth who were shot during the 2025-2026 school year, 34% — or 78 students — were active School District of Philadelphia students, 55% were former students, and the rest were never enrolled with the district. The number of shootings of active students has been decreasing annually since 2022.A total of 122 active students were shot during the 2024-2025 school year, according to district-provided data.School officials discussed the latest data analysis, as well as the research team’s 2024 findings, at a virtual panel this week. They emphasized the need for more accessible social-emotional services inside schools, additional supervision at dismissal, and better support for young people coming out of the juvenile justice system, as well as those who drop out or switch schools because of safety concerns. Here are the top data points:Shooting trends vary by school typeResearchers found that the rate of gun violence victimization for all active Philly students decreased 70% since the 2021-2022 school year. But while the rate for students enrolled in traditional schools decreased substantially, the rate for cyber charter students increased from .63 per 1,000 to .81 per 1,000. District officials said this is in part because young people who attend cyber charters may lack access to in-person counselors, school activities, and other social-emotional support that can be protective against violence. Monday afternoons are the most dangerous timeIn their analysis of school years 2020-21 to 2023- 24, district researchers found that the highest number of shootings of active students occurred on Monday afternoons, and the most common time for shootings was 3 to 5 p.m. regardless of the day of the week. More than half of shootings of students take place in five ZIP codesThe majority of these shootings take place in the 19121 area code of North Philadelphia. The locations are commonly one mile from a student’s school, according to the district’s 2024 analysis. The four other ZIP codes where student shootings most commonly occur are 19140 and 19132 in North Philadelphia, 19134 in Kensington, and 19139 in West Philadelphia. Alternative school and cyber charter students are at higher risk of being shot When looking at actively enrolled students during the 2025-2026 school year, cyber charter students were shot at a rate of .81 per 1,000. That’s more than double the rate of traditional students and non-cyber charter students, which was about .30 for both groups. Students who attend alternative schools were shot at a rate of 3.79 per 1,000 students, or more than 10 times that of traditional and cyber students.A district assistant superintendent noted that alternative schools often serve students who’ve been involved with the juvenile justice system because of gun violence. He said the goal is to help them transition back to school with ongoing mentorship, career-connected learning, and other support that can keep them engaged.This story is part of a collaboration between Chalkbeat Philadelphia and The New York Times’s Headway Initiative, supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) via the Local Media Foundation.Sammy Caiola covers solutions to gun violence in and around Philadelphia schools. Have ideas for her? Get in touch at scaiola@chalkbeat.org.
