154,000 NYC students were homeless last school year, setting another record high

"The ongoing rise in the number of homeless students, now more than double what it was in 2010 even as the overall student population has shrunk, is a reflection of both the city's acute housing shortage and the surge of migrant families who have filled homeless shelters in recent years. Since the influx of asylum seekers began in summer 2022, the city's public schools have absorbed an estimated 50,000 new students in temporary housing."

"Last year, roughly 65,000 students spent time in another shelter, while another 82,000 were doubled up, according to the data. After President Donald Trump began his second term in January, immigration slowed dramatically, and the rate of new families entering city shelters slowed to a trickle. The city's shelter population has dwindled since its peak in winter 2023 as the city shuttered many of its emergency shelters."

""Every year for the past decade, more than 100,000 students in our public schools have been homeless," said Jennifer Pringle, Director of Advocates for Children's Learners in Temporary Housing Project. "This year alone, we've worked with families whose children already missed an entire month of school because of the lack of coordination between the shelter and school systems," she added."

More than 150,000 New York City students experienced homelessness last year, including roughly 146,000 during the 2023–2024 school year. The total includes about 65,000 students who spent time in shelters and about 82,000 who were doubled up with family or friends. The number is more than double the 2010 figure even as the overall student population has shrunk, reflecting the city's acute housing shortage and a surge of migrant families who have filled homeless shelters. Since summer 2022, public schools absorbed an estimated 50,000 new students in temporary housing. Student homelessness is most acute in the Bronx, where 17% of students lacked permanent housing, compared with 6% in Staten Island. Coordination failures between shelter and school systems have caused some children to miss entire months of school.

Read at Chalkbeat