Earthquake preparedness education is critical in earthquake-prone regions, yet understanding students' literacy and awareness levels remains essential for effective disaster risk reduction. This study aimed to determine lower-secondary school students' earthquake literacy and earthquake awareness levels, examine differences by gender and grade level, and analyse the relationship between these constructs. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed, integrating a quantitative descriptive-correlational survey with qualitative semi-structured interviews. The sample included 523 students in Grades 5–8 from a public lower-secondary school in Çanakkale, Türkiye (2025–2026 academic year). Quantitative data were collected using the Earthquake Literacy Scale and the Earthquake Awareness Scale, and qualitative data were collected through interviews with 12 students. Findings indicated moderate to high levels of earthquake literacy, with the highest scores in the cognitive and behavioural dimensions and the lowest in the affective dimension. Significant gender differences were observed, favouring female students in behavioural, affective, and total literacy scores, whereas no difference was found in the cognitive dimension. Grade-level comparisons revealed that younger students (5th–6th grades) scored significantly higher than older students (7th–8th grades). Students demonstrated high earthquake awareness but only moderate preparedness, indicating a clear awareness–preparedness gap. A moderate positive correlation was found between earthquake literacy and awareness. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening affective and behavioural components ensuring continuity in school-based disaster education programmes.