Widely and sensationally publicized media coverage of school violence has resulted in widespread and unrealistic fears that school violence is commonplace and likely to happen in communities across the country. However, the article points out that, in comparison to the media portrayals of school violence, the actual risk of a student encountering a violent event in their school is literally one in a million. After providing a theoretical background and a review of the pertinent literature, the article examines the extent of media coverage surrounding school shootings. Next, three sources of data on juvenile violence and school shootings are analyzed and compared: police reports of juveniles arrested for murder, data on violent deaths among youths, and media reports of school shootings. The article examines whether the media coverage of school shootings is warranted in light of the actual amount of school violence that occurs in the United States. Results of the comparison analysis revealed that media reports of school violence led to a grossly exaggerated perception of the risk of student victimization. The authors offer recommendations for bringing the media accounts of school violence more in line with their actual occurrences. Recommendations include the forging of closer working relationships between school officials and members of the media. Tables, notes, references