California’s Homeless Students: Nearly 300,000 and Growing
Nearly 300,000 California public school students were homeless at some point during the 2013-2014 school year, according to newly released data. That equates to about 5% of all California’s public school students, up from 3.6% in 2010-2011.
The data are now available online through a partnership among the California Homeless Youth Project, an initiative of the California Research Bureau, the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY), and kidsdata.org, a program of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health.
At kidsdata.org, the data can be viewed by county and school district, and by state and US legislative district. Also on kidsdata.org are the number and percentage of homeless public school students by grade level and nighttime residence. View the summary page for an overall view of the data. These indicators are the most recent, local, and legislatively relevant data currently available.
A student is considered homeless if he or she lacks a “fixed, regular, and adequate” nighttime residence at any point during the school year. This includes temporary or unstable housing arrangements such as staying in motels, homeless shelters or with others due to loss of housing.
“Children and youth experiencing homelessness encounter many obstacles to receiving an education,” said Shahera Hyatt, Director of the California Homeless Youth Project. “A variety of factors can make it difficult to stay in school and thrive in an educational environment: moving from shelter to hotel or couch to car; lack of access to basic necessities such as showers, transportation, and food; family conflict; poverty; and stigma about their living situation.”
Patricia Julianelle, NAEHCY’s Director of State Projects and Legal Affairs, added, “As state and federal policymakers pursue solutions to homelessness, we hope these numbers illustrate the gravity of the problem and provide additional motivation to prioritize these children and youth.”
Key Findings
The five California counties with the highest incidence of homelessness in 2013-2014 are:
Explore data by county and school district.
California assembly districts with highest number of homeless students:
Explore data by assembly district.
California senate districts with highest number of homeless students:
Explore data by senate district.
US Congressional Districts with the highest number of homeless students:
Explore data by congressional district.
For more information and context to this data, see the California Homeless Youth Project’s recent report, California’s Homeless Students: A Growing Population (PDF).
The California Homeless Youth Project is a research and policy initiative of the California Research Bureau supported by funding from the California Wellness Foundation and dedicated to educating local and state policymakers about young people experiencing homelessness.
Posted by kidsdata.org
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