National Center for Homeless Education

This report marks the thirteenth school year for which the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has collected annual performance data from all states for the Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program. The EDFacts Submission System allows for the collection of un-duplicated data on students who experienced homelessness and were reported as enrolled in public schools, even if they attend more than one local educational agency (LEA) during the school year. This report draws from that data to provide the only publicly available compilation of un-duplicated data for the EHCY program. The number of homeless students enrolled in public school districts and reported by state educational agencies (SEAs) during School Year (SY) 2016-17 was 1,355,821. This total is not intended to indicate the prevalence of children and youth experiencing homelessness, as it only includes those students who are enrolled in public school districts or LEAs. It does not capture school-aged children and youth who experience homelessness during the summer only, those who dropped out of school, or young children who are not enrolled in preschool programs administered by LEAs.