The Nashville private elementary school that was attacked by a former student Monday serves just about 200 students whose families pay over $16,000 each for their Presbyterian education.
Covenant School was established in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church, with which it shares a building, and serves students from preschool through sixth grade.
It’s “intentionally small,” according to its website, with a teacher-to-student ratio of just eight to one.
But on Monday, this small, quiet private school became the scene of America’s latest school shooting when a former student entered the building through a side door and opened fire on the second floor.
Three children and three staff were killed in the attack on the school, which does not employ a school resource officer.
Covenant School was established in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church, with which it shares a building, and serves students from preschool through sixth grade
A police crime scene tape is seen at the entrance to Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn., following Monday morning’s shooting
Three children and three staff were killed in the attack on the school, which does not employ a school resource officer. The police are seen here at the school
Covenant School is an unlikely location for a school shooting due to its small size and private enrollment.
Any family wishing to enroll their child in the school must apply online and pay $16,500 each year.
Prospective students attending kindergarten through sixth grade are then tested on their knowledge before they can attend school, while children wishing to attend kindergarten must pass a developmental maturity test.
Students are taught by just 33 teachers who hope to instill a sense of curiosity, intentionality, and authenticity in their students.
Students are also required to attend the school’s daily worship services, which affirm, “The authentic freedom found in Christ enables our school community to be bold and vulnerable, full of deep learning and fearless teaching.”
After high school, many students attend other private high schools in the area such as Battle Ground Academy, Brentwood Academy, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Ensworth, and Davidson Academy.
But on Monday, many of those students were seen running out of the building in their school uniforms today after the shooting began.
They were then taken in school buses to a nearby church, visibly crying while anxiously waiting to be reunited with their parents.
Family members rushed to pick up their children at a nearby family reunification center
Many of the 200 students were seen running out of the building in their school uniforms today after the shooting began
Community members have described the school as “closely affiliated”.
Historically, many of the deadliest school shootings have occurred in public schools, which tend to have larger classes and are more common in the United States, with about 100,000 public schools in the country and only about 30,000 private schools.
Elementary school shootings are also relatively rare, accounting for just 18 percent of all school shootings, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, which monitors school shootings across the country.
The vast majority of these shootings occur in secondary schools, which are responsible for 63 percent of school shootings nationwide.
It’s also relatively uncommon for a former student to open fire at a school, according to the database, with less than 4 percent of alumni choosing to take up arms against their alma mater.
Most of the shootings are committed by students, she noted.
Nashville Metro Police said the unidentified 28-year-old gunman entered the Covenant School through a side door just before 10:13 a.m. and opened fire on the second floor.
How she gained access to the building is unclear, as police said all the school’s doors were locked at the time.
When authorities arrived at the scene, they said they heard gunshots coming from the second floor.
By 10:27 a.m., the attacker had been shot and authorities found she was armed with two assault rifles and a pistol.
Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake, right, and Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk, left, said they believed the attacker was a former student
Metro Nashville police officers and other law enforcement officers are seen here guarding the entrance to the school after the shooting
Parents of students at the school have now started picking up their children from a nearby church
It is unusual for a former student to be a school shooter, right, and unusual for an elementary school to be the scene of a school shooting, left
Parents of students at the school have now started picking up their children from a nearby church, with Susan Perkins, 68, telling her daughter and step-son were at school at the time of the shooting but thankfully were not injured.
Her daughter is a communications director and her step-grandson is a sixth grade student.
“I spoke to my daughter and she was so busy she just couldn’t speak, just enough to say she’s fine,” said the mom, who lives in Knoxville, TN.
“I’m just shaking with fear and I’m so sorry that happened,” she said. “I can’t believe three kids got killed.”
She described Covenant School as a small, close-knit Christian school where everyone knows and supports everyone.
“I didn’t think it would ever happen to my school, and I’d love to see the guns off the street,” Perkins said.
Alison Grippo, 40, also told she has three children at Covenant School who survived.
As news of the mass shooting spread, she, like other parents, was directed to nearby Woodmont Baptist Church, which was set up as a meeting place while they anxiously awaited their children.
“She said her own children, like many others, were still speaking to investigators.
“We are waiting to be reunited with our children,” Grippo told . “It’s just hard to understand or put into words. We praise God in all situations, good and bad.’