The number of homeless students who attend Los Angeles Unified schools rose by more than a quarter in the last school year, new statistics show.
As of the 2023-2024 school year, LAUSD enrolled 17,245 homeless students, up 26% from the previous school year, according to data the district made public last month.
The dramatic jump comes as the district struggles with years of increases in the enrollment of homeless students, and the loss of pandemic-era federal funding that since 2020 propped up programs to aid kids experiencing homelessness.
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“It is heartbreaking that mothers and children would be facing (homelessness) in our community, one of the richest cities in the world,” said LA superintendent Alberto Carvalho at a Sept. 21 press conference, calling the situation “a very unusual” scenario.
But the increase of homeless students is also an intensification of a longstanding trend. During the 2021-2022 school year, there were 11,314 homeless students in the district, with the figure jumping nearly 21% that year to 13,656 in the 2022-23 school year.
Researchers have identified high housing costs and financial instability as reasons for rising homelessness in California. Los Angeles, in particular, has some of the most expensive housing costs in the country .
Carvalho, who has spoken publicly about a period in his life when he was homeless while growing up in Miami, said homeless kids face special challenges at school — and in life generally.
“They have many elements in common,” said Carvalho of homeless kids. “They are facing poverty, often English language limitations, immigration.”
LAUSD has also seen obstacles to boosting homeless students’ academic success. In 2022, almost 70% of homeless students in the district were considered chronically absent . Homeless students are also less likely to graduate from high school and go to college.
Jennifer Kottke, Homeless Education Project director for Los Angeles County, said part of the increase may actually be attributed to better reporting, after state lawmakers in 2022 passed legislation to mandate housing reporting for all families.
But Kottke also said increases in the cost of housing and food have made it more difficult for families to live comfortably in Los Angeles.
And the district will soon lose an important source of funding for homeless services, she said.
Federal American Rescue Plan funding provided to LAUSD and other U.S. districts during COVID-19 pandemic officially expired on September 30th , although programs paid for by the relief money may continue to operate.
Part of the money in LAUSD went to services for homeless students, where the funding paid for tutoring services, after-school programs, housing vouchers, and money for toiletries.
Now, many of those programs will be closing, Kottke said. The lack of funding will also affect temporary housing vouchers Los Angeles Unified was able to give families to help them get back up on their feet, and will also force staff cuts, she added.
“It’s all American Rescue Plan funding,” said Kottke. “Once those materials are gone, it will be hard to refill them.”
LAUSD must find creative ways to combat rising homelessness, and do so quickly.
And even though the district faces budgetary pressure on several fronts, Carvalho and the school board continue to push for new programs aimed at boosting outcomes for homeless kids.
Over the summer, the district opened a 26-unit housing complex to help combat rising homelessness. And last month the district announced the opening of on-campus clothing boutiques meant to supply school outfits for students who need them.
This article is part of a collaboration between The 74 and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
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