Several people have been wounded in a shooting at a high school in Iowa on the first day back after Christmas.

Police confirmed that an active shooter had been reported at Perry High School, northwest of Des Moines, at around 7.40am on Thursday.

Students on their first day back after the holidays were evacuated from the school. The shooter is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning, Sheriff Adam Infante said police were first alerted to an “active shooter situation” at 7.37am and arrived at the scene within seven minutes.

He said officers had “located multiple gunshot victims”, but did not confirm whether there had been any fatalities.

“We’re still unclear exactly how many are injured or what the extent of those are, but we’re working on that right now,” he said.

“There is no further danger to the public. The community is safe. We’re just now working backwards, trying to figure out everything that happened.”

He added that police had identified the shooter but would not say whether the individual was still alive. NBC News reported that the shooter was believed to be dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Karine Jean-Pierre, a  spokeswoman for Joe Biden, said the president was tracking the “tragic” incident, adding: “Our hearts break for the families of the victims in yet another act of senseless gun violence.”

She said more should be done by lawmakers to increase background checks on gun owners.

As reports of the shooting were breaking, Linda Andorf, the president of the local school board, said: “People need to figure out their life. This is just disgusting. It’s terrible.”

Lori Meinecke, a teacher at the school, told the local Raccoon Valley Radio station she had heard six or seven gunshots, followed by officials evacuating children.

The incident comes days before the Iowa caucus, at which Republicans in the state will choose their preferred nominee for the 2024 presidential race.

Vivek Ramaswamy, one of the candidates, tweeted: “Pray for the community in Perry, Iowa this morning.”