New research from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools documents persistent disparities in academic achievement, graduation, attendance and school discipline, as well as substantial racial and geographic disparities among children who experience homelessness.
The report, released Sept. 29, examines student homelessness across California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah and identifies the ways in which housing instability continues to disrupt educational opportunities for students. Findings for each state are explored further in individual briefs.
“Across these four states, we see different trends in the number of students identified as experiencing homelessness, but a remarkably consistent pattern in what housing instability means for a student’s education,” said Mayra Cazares-Minero, a research analyst at the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools and lead author of the briefs. “Students experiencing homelessness face substantial barriers to academic achievement, graduation, and educational stability. These findings make clear that identifying students is only the first step. Schools and communities also need the capacity to provide sustained support that helps students remain stable, engaged and on track academically.”
California findings
According to the report, student homelessness reached a record high in California during the 2024–25 school year. During this time, 298,254 students experienced homelessness — a 4 percent increase from the previous year and 10 percent above the pre-pandemic peak in 2018–19.
In addition to growing housing and economic pressures, researchers noted this finding also reflects improvements made in California to better identify students experiencing homelessness.
Assembly Bill 2375, signed into law in September 2022, standardized and expanded how schools identify students experiencing homelessness by requiring all local educational agencies to administer a housing questionnaire to every student and family. The questionnaire also includes information about students’ rights under the McKinney Vento Act.
Other findings outlined in the California-specific companion brief show that:
- Black and Native American/Alaska Native students continue to experience the highest rates of homelessness, with disparities remaining pronounced in the years following the pandemic. More than one in 12 students in each group experiencing homelessness in 2024–25.
- Students experiencing homelessness consistently perform well below their housed peers in both English language arts and mathematics, scoring roughly 20 percentage points less in standards assessments for both subjects.
- These students also have lower graduation rates and are less likely to meet college eligibility requirements or earn academic distinctions, reflecting persistent disparities in postsecondary readiness.
- Despite recent efforts to reform disciplinary practices, students experiencing homelessness are still more likely to be suspended than students statewide.
- Students experiencing homelessness continue to experience chronic absenteeism at substantially higher rates than their housed peers. About one in three students experiencing homelessness was chronically absent in 2024–25, compared to about one in five housed students.
Recommendations
California-specific recommendations detailed in the report call for “stronger coordination between the state’s education and homelessness systems, sustained investment in identification and data systems, equity-focused supports, and expanded academic and postsecondary pathways.”
Specific recommendations include, “explicitly incorporating school-based homelessness data into statewide planning and establishing a formal partnership between the California Interagency Council on Homelessness and the California Homeless Education and Technical Assistance Center (HETAC) would better align housing, education, health, and human services investments with the needs of children and families experiencing homelessness,” according to the report.
Researchers also called for sustained state funding to support homeless liaison capacity, staff training and data systems so districts can consistently implement requirements established by AB 2375, as well as continued investment in HETAC and leveraging successful county models to “strengthen statewide implementation and support more consistent responses to student homelessness.”
