Homeless Youth in California Schools

Homeless Education's Laws and Definitions

This tab provides information about the McKinney-Vento Act as well as terms related to the homeless student group population specific to the California Department of Education (CDE). For more information and resources for homeless children and youth, visit the CDE Homeless Education web page.

McKinney-Vento Law

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento Act ) (42 U.S.C. § 11431-11435) is federal legislation that ensures the educational rights and protections of children and youth experiencing homelessness. It requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that homeless students have access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschools, as provided to other children and youth. The McKinney-Vento Act defines LEAs as public school districts, direct-funded and locally funded charter schools, and county offices of education.

Definitions of Homelessness

The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youth as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:

• Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;
  
  
• Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; 
  
  
• Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings;
  
  
• Migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii)

Related Definitions

California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS)

CALPADS is a student-level data system that includes student demographics, course data, discipline, assessments, staff assignments, and other data for state and federal reporting. For more information visit the CALPADS web page.

California School Dashboard (Dashboard)

The Dashboard contains reports that display the performance of local educational agencies (LEAs), schools, and student groups on a set of state and local measures to assist in identifying strengths, challenges, and areas in need of improvement.

Census Day

Census Day is the first Wednesday in October, also known as Information Day when annual enrollment data are submitted by LEAs to the CDE through CALPADS.

Consolidated Application and Reporting System (CARS)

CARS is a data collection system to apply for Categorical Program Funding and to report on the use of those funds. For more information visit the CARS web page.

Cumulative Enrollment

The cumulative enrollment data includes an unduplicated count of all students who had a primary or short-term enrollment for at least one day at any time within the academic school year (July 1 to June 30).

Enroll and Enrollment

Enroll and enrollment means a student is signed up to attend classes and participate fully in school activities.

Immediate Enrollment

Immediate Enrollment is when a homeless student is entitled to immediately enroll in any public school that students in the same area are eligible to attend; even if: students have missed application or enrollment deadlines during any period of homelessness or students do not have required documents, such as school records, records of immunization and other required health records, proof of residency, guardianship, or other documents.

Homeless Youth

Homeless youth is defined as children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

Housing Type

• Hotels/Motels means living in a hotel or motel due to not having a fixed, permanent residence.
  
  

• Temporarily Doubled-Up means living with relatives or friends, due to economic hardship (including unaccompanied youth and runaways).
  
  
• Temporary Shelters means living in transitional housing.
  
  
• Temporarily Unsheltered* means living in abandoned buildings, campgrounds, vehicles, trailer parks, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers, bus and train stations, or is abandoned in the hospital.
  
  
  • *Unsheltered is also defined as substandard or inadequate housing and is judged on a case-by-case basis. A rule of thumb would be to see the dwelling as comparable to an automobile, in that it shelters, yet it is not adequate housing.

Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)

The LCFF establishes uniform grade span grants in place of the myriad of previously existing K–12 funding streams, including revenue limits, general-purpose block grants, and most state categorical programs (see School District and Charter School LCFF Entitlement). For county offices of education (COEs), the LCFF establishes funding for oversight activities and instructional programs (see County Office of Education LCFF Entitlement).

Reporting Requirements

All LEAs are required to report the number of homeless students enrolled during a school year through CALPADS and the Annual Homeless Survey.

Residence Type

• Fixed residence is one that is stationary, permanent, and not subject to change.
  
  
• Regular residence is one that is used on a normal, standard, and consistent basis.
  
  
• Adequate residence is one that is sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments.

School of Origin

School of origin is defined as the school that a child or youth attended when permanently housed, the school in which the child or youth was last enrolled when they became homeless, or a school that the child or youth has had some sort of connection to within the last 15 months.

School Stability

School stability measures whether a student is enrolled in the same school for an entire school year without a break in enrollment.

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged

The Socioeconomically Disadvantaged student group is comprised of students who meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. neither of the student's parents has received a high school diploma
2. the student is eligible for or participating in the Free Meal program or Reduced-Price Meal program
3. the student is eligible for or participating in the Title I Part C Migrant program
4. the student was considered Homeless
5. the student was Foster Program Eligible
6. the student was Directly Certified
7. the student was enrolled in a Juvenile Court School
8. the student is eligible as a Tribal Foster Youth

For more information visit the LCFF Equity Multiplier web page.

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

Unaccompanied Homeless Youth is defined as a youth that is not in the physical custody of their parent or guardian and meets the definition of homelessness, as stated above.

Quick Facts Data

This tab provides quick facts about homeless students. Please visit the Homeless Children and Youth Data web page to access data reports, downloadable files, and data resources specifically for homeless youth.

Census Day Statewide Homeless Student Enrollment Chart

Data Source: Enrollment by Subgroup for Charter and Non-Charter Schools which consists of the number of students enrolled on the first Wednesday in October.

Census Day Statewide Homeless Student Enrollment Table

Data Source: Enrollment by Subgroup for Charter and Non-Charter Schools which consists of the number of students enrolled on the first Wednesday in October.

State Level Educational Outcomes of Homeless Students

This tab provides state level educational outcomes for homeless students, which are published annually on DataQuest. DataQuest is the California Department of Education’s online, public reporting system that provides reports about California’s schools and school districts. To find out how to access reports specifically for homeless youth, visit the Homeless Children and Youth Data web page.

2023-24 Percent of Students Chronically Absent

The graph below displays the 2023–24 school year chronic absence rates for TK-12 non-homeless students, 19.6 percent, and homeless students, 36.3 percent. The chronic absence rate is calculated as the percent of students who miss ten percent or more of the days they are expected to attend. This report is available through Chronic Absenteeism Rate.

2023–24 Suspension Rate

The graph below displays the 2023–24 school year suspension rates for TK-12 non-homeless students, 3.2 percent, and homeless students, 5.8 percent. Suspension rate is calculated as the percent of all students who were suspended one or more times during the school year for an in-school or out-of-school suspension. This report is available through Expulsion and Suspension Data.

2023–24 Stability Report

The stability rates are from a new report that provides a total count of cumulatively enrolled students with an enrollment start date on or after July 1 and on or before June 30 (Adjusted Cumulative Enrollment), a count of students identified as part of the Stability Count (i.e., students with stable enrollments), and a count of students identified as part of the Non-Stability Count (i.e., students without stable enrollments). Students are determined to have a “stable” enrollment during the academic year if the enrollment record is a minimum of 245 consecutive calendar days at the same school without a disqualifying exit. The Adjusted Cumulative Enrollment along with the Stability and Non-Stability Count are used to calculate the Stability Rate (Stability Count divided by the Adjusted Cumulative Enrollment) and the Non-Stability Rate (Non-Stability Count divided by the Adjusted Cumulative Enrollment) at the selected entity for the selected population using the available filters. This report is available through Stability Report.

The graph below displays the 2023–24 Stability Rate for TK-12 non-homeless students, 91.8 percent, and homeless students, 74.4 percent.

2023–24 Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate

The graph below displays the 2023–24 school year four-year cohort graduation rates for non-homeless students, 87.4 percent, and homeless students, 74.6 percent. The four-year cohort graduation rate is calculated as the percent of students who graduate high school within four years from the time they enter ninth grade with a traditional high school diploma. This report is available through Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate.

2023–24 Graduates Receiving a Local Requirements Exemption

The Graduates Receiving a Local Requirements Exemption is a new indicator that shows graduating high school students who completed all state graduation requirements for a standard high school diploma but were exempt from local graduation requirements. For 2023-24, 10.1 percent of homeless youth students graduated with an exemption from local graduation requirements compared to 1.2 percent of non-homeless students. The Graduates Receiving a Local Requirements Exemption report can be found under the Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation indicator and accessed through DataQuest.

2023–24 Four-Year Cohort Dropout Rate

The graph below displays the 2023–24 school year four-year cohort dropout rates for non-homeless students, 8.2 percent and homeless students, 16.8 percent. The four-year cohort dropout rate is calculated as the percent of cohort students who (1) do not graduate with a regular high school diploma, (2) do not otherwise complete high school, or (3) are not still enrolled as a "fifth-year senior." The report is available through Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Outcome.

State Level Accountability for Homeless Youth

This tab provides the latest statewide accountability indicators for homeless youth.

California's accountability system is a multiple measures system that assesses how local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools are meeting the needs of their students. Performance on these measures is reported through the California School Dashboard and System of Support.

The 2023–24 California School Dashboard (Dashboard), reflects California’s accountability system with Performance Levels (or colors) for state indicators, which are determined using current year performance (or Status) and the difference from prior year (or Change) to show growth or decline. This results in five color-coded Performance Levels for each indicator. From highest to lowest, the Performance Levels are: Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red. For more information, please visit the Five-By-Five Colored Tables web page.

The 2023–24 accountability measures and historical homeless performance can be found on California School Dashboard .

For more information, resources, and guidance for the Dashboard and System of Support, please visit the California School Dashboard and System of Support web page.

English Language Arts

This measure of the Academic Performance state indicator reports student progress on the statewide assessment for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA). It uses the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments and California Alternate Assessments, and it is calculated based on the average "Distance from Standard" for all students in grades 3 through 8 and/or grade 11. The homeless student group has ‘Red’ performance level, maintained with -2.5 points and scored 70.4 points below standard compared to the statewide average of 13.2 points below standard for all students. This data is available on the Dashboard English Language Arts.

Number of Students: 119,419

Mathematics

This measure of the Academic Performance state indicator reports student progress on the statewide assessment for mathematics. It uses the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments and California Alternate Assessments, and it is calculated based on the average "Distance from Standard" for all students in grades 3 through 8 and/or grade 11. The homeless student group has a ‘Red’ Performance level, ‘Declined’ the level by 4.7 points, and scored 106 points below standard compared to the stateside average of 47.6 points below standard for all students. This data is available on the Dashboard Mathematics.

Number of Students: 128,657

Chronic Absenteeism

The Chronic Absenteeism state indicator shows how many students were absent for 10 percent or more of the total instructional school days each student was expected to attend. The homeless youth student group has a ‘Yellow’ performance level and ‘Declined’ by 6.4 percent. 32.7 percent of homeless students in transitional kindergarten through eighth grade were chronically absent in the 2023–24 school year compared to the statewide rate of 18.6 percent for all students. This data is available on the Dashboard Chronic Absenteeism.

Number of Students: 193,916

Graduation Rate

The Graduation Rate state indicator reflects the number of students who graduate with a regular high school diploma in four years or five years. The homeless youth student group has a ‘Yellow’ performance level and ‘Increased’ 2 percent. 75.7 percent of homeless students graduated in the 2023–24 school year compared to the statewide rate of 86.7 percent for all students. This data is available on the Dashboard Graduation Rate.

Number of Students: 39,280

College/Career

The College/Career Readiness state indicator shows how many students graduate from high school better prepared for college or a career. It uses many different college and career measures, such as completion of coursework, work experience, and exam results. The homeless youth student group has an ‘Orange’ performance level and ‘Maintained’ 1.3 percent. 21.8 percent of the homeless youth student group graduated from high school prepared for college or a career compared to the statewide rate of 45.3 percent for all students. This data is available on the Dashboard College/Career.

Number of Students: 37,772

Suspension Rate

The Suspension Rate state indicator reflects the percentage of students in transitional kindergarten through grade 12 who have been suspended at least once in a given school year. Students who are suspended multiple times are only counted once. The homeless youth student group has a ‘Yellow’ performance level and ‘Declined’ by 0.8 percent. 5.7 percent of the homeless student group were suspended for at least one day compared to the statewide rate of 32 percent for all students. This data is available on the Dashboard Suspension Rate.

Number of Students: 286,821

Geographic Information System (GIS)

This tab provides access and information for the Homeless Census Day Enrollment by School District and Homeless Enrollment Change by District Geographic Information System (GIS) Map. GIS software allows users to create, manage, analyze, and visualize data via a geographic display.

Homeless Census Day Enrollment by School District

The Homeless Census Day Enrollment by School District map is an interactive tool which displays how California’s student homeless population varies geographically throughout the state. The map shows the locations of California’s public school districts linked to district-level student enrollment counts.

Each circle represents a school district and when selected, district directory information will appear along with the homeless percentage, homeless enrollment, and district enrollment. The circle size corresponds to the count of homeless students enrolled. A set of interactive data filters on the left pane enable the user to limit the display of school districts. The map and summary statistics on the right pane update automatically when a filter is applied.

Homeless Enrollment Change by District

On the bottom left corner of the Homeless Census Day Enrollment by School District map you can open the change map by selecting the “Homeless Enrollment Change by District” icon. This change map displays the difference in homeless enrollment between the two most recent years of data.

Changes in enrollment between the previous and current school years are represented with orange and purple circles. Orange circles indicate an increase in homeless student enrollment from the prior school year and purple circles indicate a zero or decrease in homeless student enrollment from the previous school year. The size of the circle represents the scope of change in homeless student enrollment.

Student Data

The student data in this application is reported at the school district level and is based on Census Day enrollment counts, which are collected on the first Wednesday in October of each academic year. This information was submitted by local educational agencies (LEAs) and charter schools to the California Department of Education (CDE) as part of the annual Fall 1 data submission in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). You can access the full Census Day Enrollment reports at this link, DataQuest Annual Enrollment.

Please Note: There is no downloadable data file associated with this map; however, you can copy and paste the district list into a spreadsheet.

Data Filters

Data filters are used to limit the display of school districts. Filter options include district, school year, homeless enrollment count, homeless percent, and charter status, all of which can be used simultaneously. Only school districts that meet the defined conditions will be displayed on the map.

Academic Year

The academic year is the school year when the student data was collected. The two most recent school years, 2022–23 and 2023–24 are available to view on this map.

Homeless Count

The Homeless Count is the total enrollment count of K-12 students experiencing homelessness on Fall Census Day (the first Wednesday in October) in the academic year selected. A slide feature allows the user to adjust the desired enrollment count and percentage with fewer students on the left and more students on the right. The size of the enrollment count will be reflected in five distinct symbol sizes, with the smallest being 0 to 25 and the largest being 1,001 to 9,410.

Homeless Percent

The homeless percent is the percent of K-12 students enrolled who were experiencing homelessness on Fall Census Day (first Wednesday in October) in the academic year selected.

Homeless by Charter Status

The Charter Status filter allows users to view homeless student enrollment with three different filter selections. Users can view enrollments for all schools within a district, only charter schools within a district, or only non-charter schools within a district. For more information about charter schools please visit CDE’s Charter School web page.

Filter Districts by County

A county list and search tool can be found in the top right corner of the map. Once a desired county is selected, the map will only show districts within the selected county, and a district list with corresponding homeless student enrollment data will appear on the right-side column. For more information about school districts in California, please visit the California School Directory.

Resources

This tab provides resources specific to the needs and outcomes of homeless children and youth.

Educational Support Services

• Resources for Homeless Children and Youth
  This page provides access to resources related to homeless students' rights to enroll and participate fully in school.
  
  
• Homeless Education
  This page provides access to information and resources for homeless children and youth and their right to enroll, attend, participate fully, and succeed in school.
  
  
• New Identification Strategies and Resources in Response to Coronavirus (DOCX)
  Identification strategies and resources for LEAs in response to Coronavirus for students experiencing homelessness in one easy to access page.
  
  
• CDE’s Homeless Education Resource Listserv
  Join the Homeless Children and Youths Education Resources listserv to receive information and updates via e-mail relating to the education of homeless children.

Data

• Homeless Census Day Enrollment by School District GIS Map
  Homeless Enrollment Change by District Geographic Information System (GIS) Map. GIS software allows users to create, manage, analyze, and visualize data via a geographic display.
  
  
• Homeless Children and Youth Data
  This page provides access to information and DataQuest reports for California's homeless children and youth.
  
  
• Accessing Educational Data
  This page provides access to data collected by the California Department of Education (CDE), including enrollment data, demographic and student group data, staff data, school and district accountability, statewide assessment results, and directory information.
  
  
• Homeless Data Collection Timeline
  The page provides data collection timelines for California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CAPLADS) and Consolidated Application and Reporting System (CARS).
  
  
• Data Crosswalk for the California School Dashboard and DataQuest (DOCX)
  This Data Crosswalk document provides a short overview of the differences in the way that data are produced for DataQuest and the California School Dashboard.
  

External Websites

• California Homeless Education Technical Assistance Centers (HETAC)
  HETAC provides support and technical assistance to county offices of education (COEs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and other interested stakeholders to ensure educational access and success for children and youth experiencing homelessness. The HETAC network is operated by the Contra Costa COE, Los Angeles COE, and San Diego COE.
  
• The National Center for Homeless Education’s (NCHE) data web site
  For more information about State Level Data and Contact Information.
  
  
• NCHE’s data page for California
  The most recently available years of the U.S. Department of Education's EDFacts Initiative including homeless youth enrollment, subgroups, and contact information.
  
  
• Schoolhouse Connection
  A national non-profit organization working to overcome homelessness through education.
  
  
• YOU COUNT California Youth Homelessness Data Hub

  The California Homeless Youth Project (CHYP) is a research and policy initiative of the California Research Bureau (CRB). The project is committed to bringing youth to the policy table and to informing policymakers, opinion leaders, and other stakeholders about the needs of unaccompanied homeless youth.
  

  
  

Frequently Asked Questions

The sections below address the most commonly asked questions about homeless student data.

Identification | Data Collection | Data Certification

Identification

Data Collection

Data Certification