Literacy rates in the United States are among the highest in the world, and completing high school, and increasingly post-secondary education, is considered a norm. However, for many youth experiencing homelessness, staying in school is a difficult challenge. Studies find that 63% to 90% of youth experiencing homelessness did not complete high school, despite being the age to have done so.

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Education is an important aspect to our understanding of homelessness. First, individuals with lower educational attainment are at higher risk of unemployment, underemployment and poverty. A study conducted by OHRA found that 64% of shelter users did not complete high school versus 34% for all Canadians and, when compared to information on employment, found that those who did not drop out were more likely to be employed. Second, for many youth experiencing homelessness and children, homelessness can disrupt their efforts to stay in school and often leads to dropping out despite their desires to remain in school. Third, while this is changing, providing educational supports for people experiencing homelessness often takes a back seat to more immediate needs such as shelter and food. 

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Barriers & Challenges

One of the consequences of youth homelessness is being forced to withdraw from school. In some cases, the contributing factors that led to a young person’s homelessness also had an impact on their school success. In other words, they were already at risk of dropping out. In other cases, school may not have been affected. However, when homelessness results in an individual having to leave their community, dropping out of school becomes an even more likely result, regardless of school performance to that point.

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Once on the streets, returning or continuing school becomes a real challenge. Without access to affordable housing, adequate income, proper nutrition, and trusting supportive adults, school is often not a realistic possibility for street youth. In the United States, our approach to youth homelessness and the infrastructure we have in place to respond to it typically does not support young people who wish to return to, or stay in school. By denying youth experiencing homelessness with adequate opportunities to obtain an education, advocates argue that we are condemning such young people to a life of poverty. 

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For families experiencing homelessness, ensuring that children stay in school is often a struggle. Families experiencing homelessness are often forced to move to family shelters that are a great distance from their communities. Children have no other option but to enroll in a new a school, and because of the poverty facing such families, they are at a disadvantage in obtaining a good education. While most Americans would agree that all children and youth should have access to a good education, the experience of homelessness and poverty makes this difficult, if not impossible.

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1. Homelessness and School Withdrawal

• Youth facing homelessness often experience school withdrawal. In many cases, the same factors that precipitated their homelessness—such as family instability, economic hardship, or trauma—already placed them at risk of dropping out.

• If homelessness forces a young person to leave their familiar community, the likelihood of dropping out increases significantly—even for students who were performing adequately before housing instability disrupted their lives.

2. Obstacles to Re-enrolling or Continuing Education

• Once out on the streets, the challenges of returning to school are profound. Without stable housing, adequate income, proper nutrition, and supportive adults, school is often no longer a realistic option.

• In the U.S., existing systems and infrastructure frequently fail to support youth experiencing homelessness in accessing or maintaining education. As a result, many advocates regard this failure as condemning these youths to persistent poverty.

• The McKinney-Vento Act offers some protections (such as rights to transportation, enrollment without proof of residency, etc.), but the system often lacks sufficient funding and implementation to effectively help students re-engage or stay in school. youth.govSchoolHouse Connection+1

3. Homelessness Among Families & School Disruption

• Families experiencing homelessness often must relocate, frequently to shelters far from their local schools. This leads to children being relocated mid-year, which causes educational disruption and challenges in adjusting to new schools.

• Poverty exacerbates these issues: families already facing financial hardship may struggle to provide their children with the resources needed for success in a new school environment.

• While most agree that every child deserves access to quality education, the realities of homelessness and poverty can make such access nearly impossible.

Evidence-Based Support

Data from SchoolHouse Connection’s 2022–23 Fact Sheet highlight the severity of these challenges:

• Nearly 1.4 million students in U.S. public schools experienced homelessness—an increase of 14% from the previous year. SchoolHouse Connection

• Homeless students experience unique barriers like school instability, lack of transportation, absence of a fixed address, and stigma. SchoolHouse Connection

• Approximately 48% of homeless students were chronically absent—12 percentage points higher than other low-income students and 22 points above all students. SchoolHouse Connection+1

• The graduation rate for homeless students was roughly 68%—compared to about 81% for other low-income students and nearly 87% for all students. SchoolHouse Connection

• Not graduating dramatically increases the risk of future homelessness: individuals without a high school diploma or GED are 4.5 times more likely to experience homelessness as young adults. SchoolHouse Connection

Summary Table

Barrier/ChallengeImpact on Homeless Youth

Housing InstabilityForced school withdrawal, frequent relocations

Basic Needs UnmetAffects attendance, concentration, and ability to enroll

Inadequate SupportSystems often lack resources to help re-enroll or retain students

High Absenteeism & Low GraduationUndermines education and increases future homelessness risk

Cycle of PovertyEducation gap perpetuates long-term disadvantage

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