NYC student homelessness drops 10% but stays above 100,000

New York City public schools served more than 138,000 students experiencing homelessness during the 2024-25 school year, according to a report released Tuesday by the nonprofit Advocates for Children. The figure represents a 10% decrease from the previous year, a drop primarily driven by fewer families residing in shelters. Despite the decline, one in eight students in the city’s public school system lived in temporary housing, marking the eleventh consecutive year that the total exceeded 100,000.

The report breaks down the living situations of these students. Thirty-seven percent resided in shelters, while 58% were "doubled up," meaning they shared housing with relatives or friends due to economic hardship. The total number of affected children is roughly equivalent to the entire population of Albany.

Academic outcomes for homeless students lag significantly behind their peers in permanent housing. In 2025, only 27% of students living in shelters in grades 3 through 8 were proficient in reading on state tests, less than half the rate of students with stable housing. On-time graduation rates for shelter students stood at 59%, compared to the citywide average of 81%. Additionally, 14% of these students dropped out of school, a rate three times higher than their classmates.

Attendance remains a critical issue. Nearly half of students in temporary housing and 63% of those in shelters were chronically absent during the 2024-25 academic year. Chronic absence is defined as missing at least 10% of school days. This compares to a citywide chronic absenteeism rate of about one-third. Shelter students were also far more likely to change schools; one in five transferred at least once, a rate more than four times higher than the citywide average.

Jennifer Pringle, director of Advocates for Children’s Learners in Temporary Housing Project, attributes many of these challenges to shelter placement policies. The Department of Homeless Services aims to place families in the borough where the youngest child attends school, but approximately 37% of shelter families end up in a different borough. Pringle noted that this mismatch forces many children to rely on school buses, a process that often takes more than a month to arrange. Families frequently report delays and buses that do not show up.

Pringle stated that the city has significant control over these systems but lacks a mechanism to revisit shelter placements once a family arrives. She suggested that case managers check in with families one week after arrival to determine if a transfer closer to the child’s school is desired. Families remain in shelters for an average of 14 months. Pringle argued that the time parents spend commuting to and from school reduces the time available for work or housing searches, further destabilizing the family unit.

The report identified the Bronx as the borough with the highest rate of student homelessness, with nearly one in six students affected in the 2025-26 school year. Manhattan followed with a rate of one in seven, though it saw the largest year-over-year drop at 18%. Staten Island had the lowest rate, with about one in 20 students experiencing homelessness. At the district level, Districts 9, 23, and 32 recorded the highest rates, with more than one in five students affected. In contrast, fewer than 5% of students in District 26 in Queens experienced homelessness.

City officials responded to the findings. Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said the Education Department has worked with other agencies to improve policies, including removing the requirement for children to attend housing meetings and expanding community schools with wraparound services in high-shelter districts. Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Erin Dalton pointed to declining chronic absenteeism among shelter students and said the agency is expanding outreach to help families transition to more stable housing.