According to an Oct. 20 report by Advocates for Children of New York more than 154,000 students enrolled in the New York City public schools have experienced homelessness over the 2024-2025 school year. This is an all-time-record number of homeless students in New York City. It signifies that nearly one out of every seven students has been homeless. The total number of homeless students has doubled in 11 years. The most common form of homelessness is called “doubling-up,” in which a family is forced to move into the home of a family member or friend. A record-high 65,000 students lived in city homeless shelters.
Education for the unhoused is always more challenging. Students experiencing homelessness are more likely to drop out, have lower test scores, and are more frequently chronically absent from school.
