A KHOU investigation using state and district records found that multiple Houston-area school systems reported firearm violations during 2025, a trend that has pushed district leaders, parents and lawmakers back into a familiar fight over how to detect weapons, staff campuses and prevent the next scare. The station’s analysis and public filings reveal a patchwork of reporting practices and security responses across the region. Below is a breakdown of how the counts are compiled, what the numbers mean for students and schools, and how districts say they are responding.
What KHOU’s investigation showed
In a March 13 “11 Investigates” segment, reporters pulled together state and local records to pinpoint which Houston-area districts logged the most firearm violations in 2025. The reporting details where incidents clustered and how districts classified and reported them, relying on state filings and campus discipline records. For the full rundown, see KHOU.
How Texas counts - and requires reporting of - guns at school
Districts that receive federal funds must file a district Gun-Free Schools report (PR6000) and submit campus PR6100 forms any time a student is found to have brought a firearm to school. Those filings feed statewide tallies and safety audits. The Texas Education Agency issues guidance for these reports and publishes an annual Office of School Safety and Security report that summarizes audits and statewide findings. See the Texas Education Agency bulletin on the PR6000/PR6100 process and the TEA annual safety report for the 2024-25 cycle. Texas Education Agency; TEA annual report.
HISD saw a sharp rise in 2024-25
Houston ISD has become a focal point in the region’s numbers. District leaders told trustees that gun-possession cases rose sharply in the 2024-25 school year, with 42 students identified with firearms by spring 2025 compared with 18 the prior year. Officials told local media that the jump helped speed up plans to expand weapons-detection systems and adjust campus security posture. Houston Chronicle.
Districts are responding - but not the same way
Across the Houston area, responses have ranged from metal detectors and clear-bag policies to pilot school-marshal programs and more school resource officers. HISD and several neighboring districts have moved to add weapons-detection technology at high schools, while districts such as Humble ISD are piloting trained employee marshal programs that allow vetted volunteers to carry firearms under state rules. Local reporting has tracked both the rollouts and the pushback from parents and staff over those choices. Houston Press; Houston Chronicle.
Policy backdrop: money, mandates and disagreements
State law passed after the Uvalde massacre has reshaped what districts are required to do. HB 3 created a school-safety allotment (roughly $10 per student plus a per-campus supplement) and expanded the Texas Education Agency’s role in school-safety oversight, while also requiring some form of armed personnel on campuses. Many districts say the allotment does not come close to covering the full cost of hiring armed officers, which helps explain why responses vary so widely and why the issue has become part of this year’s legislative debate. Texas Tribune.
Legal consequences for students
Under federal and state rules, a student who brings a firearm to campus can face mandatory expulsion along with potential criminal charges. Even in those cases, districts must still complete required reporting so the PR6100 filings that drive statewide counts are on file. The Texas Education Code and related state statutes set expulsion and disciplinary standards for weapons offenses and outline exceptions for authorized activities. See the Texas statutes on Chapter 37 (discipline and law and order) for the statutory framework. Texas Education Code, Chapter 37.
What to watch next
KHOU’s package underscores that the raw numbers in state and district filings matter because they shape funding requests, board decisions and community pressure, but they do not capture motive, context or how things turned out for individual students. Expect more local coverage and follow-up public records requests as districts and the state publish updated PR6000/PR6100 filings and the Texas Education Agency completes its audits. KHOU’s reporting and the agency filings remain primary sources for tracking those updates. For the station’s full analysis and visuals, see the KHOU report. KHOU.
