Overview

• State data for 2025 show a 9.3% increase in homeless students to 230,443 across California.
• Most of the rise stems from expanded staff training and broader definitions under the McKinney-Vento Act rather than a worsening housing crisis.
• Kern County’s population of identified homeless students climbed 10% to 7,200 after schools adopted stigma-free language and outreach.
• Homeless students continue to underperform academically, with elevated absenteeism and discipline rates and only 16% meeting state math standards.
• Nearly all pandemic relief and McKinney-Vento grants that fund transportation, tutoring and supplies have been spent and federal funding is absent from the 2026-27 budget.