Rates of student homelessness among California’s K–12 students increased in nearly two-thirds of the state’s counties during the 2024–25 school year, according to the California Department of Education’s most recent cumulative homeless data. Statewide, the share of homeless students reached 5%—nearly 300,000 students. (These numbers capture all students who experienced homelessness at any point during the year and are higher than the recently released single-day count of student homelessness taken in fall 2025). Rates of homelessness vary across demographic groups and housing situations, with the vast majority of students across groups “doubled up”—sharing housing due to economic hardship.
Migrant students have by far the highest rates of homelessness, at 16.2%. English Learners and students with disabilities also have higher than average rates.
Several racial/ethnic groups also experience elevated rates—including Native American (8.2%), Black (8.1%), Pacific Islander (6.9%), and Latino (6.6%) students. Filipino, white (both 2.2%), and Asian (1.6%) students have the lowest rates.
Most homeless students (83.8%) are “doubled up”—sharing housing due to economic hardship—while 6.7% are in shelters, 5.6% in hotels or motels, and 3.9% are unsheltered. Though least common, unsheltered homelessness is the most severe, and some student groups are disproportionately affected. White (5.7%), Black (5.6%), and Native American (5.3%) students have the highest unsheltered rates. Students with disabilities (4.7%) and migrant students (4.6%) also exceed the statewide average.
The vast majority of homeless students are in the care of their parent or guardian, but about 3.3% are unaccompanied. Unaccompanied students are more likely to be unsheltered (6.3%) than homeless students overall. Native American students have the highest unaccompanied rate (7.7%), while migrant students—despite having the highest overall homelessness rate—are the least likely to be unaccompanied (1.2%).
There is also wide variation across counties. Most Central Coast counties exceed the statewide average, with Monterey (17.5%) and Santa Barbara (14.2%) reporting the highest rates in the state, likely reflecting housing challenges faced by migrant farm workers in the region. Some smaller counties, including Sierra, Trinity, and Colusa, also have elevated rates (10.9% to 13.8%). Meanwhile Fresno and Contra Costa both see rates less than half of the state average (1.7%).
While most counties saw student homelessness rise last year, most increases were under 1 percentage point and several counties saw improvements. Sierra, Inyo, and Mendocino saw the largest increases, nearly 2 percentage points or more, while Amador (-2.1pp) and Del Norte (-1.9pp) saw the largest decreases.
Why are student homelessness rates on the rise? Advocates and school officials point to improved identification as one key driver. At the same time, California’s housing affordability challenges and recent natural disasters have put additional pressure on families.
Because most homeless students are doubled up, they are ineligible for homeless housing assistance from HUD—but low-income doubled-up families may qualify for housing assistance through programs such as Section 8. Families facing imminent loss of housing may also be eligible for HUD’s homelessness prevention programs, and California’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program provides significant state investment in local homelessness responses.
The federal McKinney-Vento program provided $15.9 million to California in 2024–25 to identify and enroll students experiencing homelessness and provide supports such as transportation and wraparound services. But not all districts with homeless populations receive those funds, and their uses are more restrictive than the pandemic-era grants that helped expand identification nationally. Congress preserved this funding at the same level for FY2026, but the ultimate future of these dollars is uncertain.
California has no dedicated state funding stream for homeless students. Currently, there is state legislative activity to include homeless students in the state’s school funding formula and increase support for unaccompanied youth—but with one-time funding gone and persistent housing pressures, ensuring these students are identified and served will require sustained attention from policymakers.
