Dive Brief:
- Homelessness among public school students is at an all-time high, which is particularly concerning with high school students since many of these teens are often living on their own.
- Of the nearly 1.26 million public school students who were homeless during the 2012-13 school year, 25% were in high school, according to recently released data from the National Center for Homeless Education.
- While schools are required by law to provide education to homeless students and transportation if they move around, schools do not have to provide housing.
Dive Insight:
According to Barbara Duffield, director of policy and programs at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, homeless teens who are living on their own typically find themselves in that predicament because of "a very bad situation at home, abuse or neglect." Additionally, Duffield says foster care is often not possible for the older kids, so finding housing becomes incredibly difficult.
This lack of stability, often ends up in a rejection of schooling. According to the 2014 "Don't Call Them Dropouts" report from Tufts University's Center for Promise, homeless young people were 87% more likely to stop going to school.