A quarter million California public school students are homeless

Homeless Public School Students, 2015-2016

PALO ALTO, California — Over a quarter million, or 4.4% of public school students, were recorded as homeless at some point during the 2015-2016 school year. (Data on homeless children and youth in California are now available on Kidsdata.org .)

Most homeless students stayed with friends or relatives because of loss of housing (85% ), and the remainder were in a temporary shelter, motel, or were unsheltered.

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (Point-in-Time Count), Ages 0-17: 2017

Recording homeless students during the school year is one way to measure homelessness. A second way to measure homelessness is with a point-in-time (PIT) count, which is held nationwide on one night in January each year.

In 2017, 1,649 youth who were under age 18 were found homeless without a parent or guardian. Most were unsheltered, meaning that they were found in a place not ordinarily used for sleeping.

Federal agencies, researchers, and advocates agree that the homeless youth population remains largely hidden. Current methods to measure homelessness are presumed undercounts. However, the data that are available suggest this is a statewide issue.

Earlier this month Kidsdata.org released data on childhood poverty.  Homelessness can be one of the tragic consequences of poverty. Data revealing homelessness among youth and research about the impact of homelessness can help raise awareness and drive solutions to ending homelessness among youth.

Recording homeless students during the school year is one way to measure homelessness. A second way to measure homelessness is with a point-in-time (PIT) count which is held nationwide on one night in January each year. In 2017, 1,649 youth who were under age 18 were found homeless without a parent or guardian. Most were unsheltered, meaning that they were found in a place not ordinarily used for sleeping.

Federal agencies, researchers, and advocates agree that the homeless youth population remains largely hidden. Current methods to measure homelessness are presumed undercounts. However, the data that are available suggest this is a statewide issue.

Earlier this month we released data on childhood poverty. Homelessness can be one of the tragic consequences of poverty. Data revealing homelessness among youth and research about the impact of homelessness can help raise awareness and drive solutions to ending homelessness among youth.