Copyright AM New York
More than 154,000 NYC public school students were homeless last year, according to a report published on Monday by the Advocates for Children of New York (AFC). That number is nearly one in every seven students enrolled in the nation’s largest public school system. The shocking statistic made the 2024-2025 school year the 10th consecutive year in which more than 100,000 students did not have a permanent place to call home. It was also the first academic year in which the total number of kids in temporary housing exceeded 150,000. The report, based on data from the NYS Education Department, comes at a time when NYC families are struggling to afford basic needs, including shelter and food. Families even struggled to purchase school supplies last month, marked by countless backpack and supply giveaways throughout the city. According to the new report, nearly 65,000 homeless children spent time living in city shelters last year. More than 82,000 were “doubled up,” or temporarily shared housing with others. The overall rate increased from the previous school year and was highest in Bronx schools, followed by those in Manhattan. At the community school district level, more than one in five students was identified as homeless at schools in East Harlem (District 4), Highbridge and Grand Concourse (District 9), Brownsville (District 23), and Bushwick (District 32) during the 2024–25 school year. Researchers who did the study said that when students are homeless or live in shelters, they face “tremendous obstacles” to their academic success. Studies have shown that absenteeism increases, grades go down and the likelihood of high-school graduation rates decrease. “Based on data for the 2023-2024 school year and educational outcome, one in eight students in shelter dropped out of high school,” Jennifer Pringle, who directs AFC’s work with students in temporary housing, said. “This is three times the drop-out rate of their permanently housed peers.” She added that their four-year graduation rate was 62% compared to 85% for permanently housed students. Homeless children face persistent challenges in trying to overcome educational barriers. “For example, 40% of families in shelter are placed in a different borough from where the children go to school,” Pringle explained. “Not a different neighborhood, not a different community school district — a different borough.” Addressing the issue Following the comprehensive report, advocates called on the city government to do more to help families struggling with homelessness. Christine Quinn, president and CEO of Win, which provides housing and services for homeless families, called the rising number of homeless students a “moral failure and a stark indictment” on the city. “We know that homeless students face an uphill climb, from battling chronic absenteeism to struggling to meet the benchmarks their housed peers routinely meet,” she said. A new mayoral administration could bring more opportunities to address the issue, advocates said. Maria Odom, executive director of AFC, even said the city is “currently failing students” who live in shelters. “Ensuring students who are homeless receive the support they need to be successful in school must be a top priority for the next mayor, who must lead a citywide, cross-agency effort to break down bureaucratic silos, reverse these alarming trends, and ensure students experiencing homelessness can get to school every day and receive the educational support they need to succeed,” she said. Quinn called for strong action from City Hall. “As our city prepares to welcome a new mayor, we have a ripe opportunity to bring new attention to this crisis and to finally end the family homelessness epidemic,” she said. “I urge our leaders in City Hall to embrace bold, new solutions to get more families into permanent homes and to end this crisis once and for all.”
