REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE - Data on Students Experiencing Homelessness - 2025

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

Annual legislative reporting consolidates state data on students experiencing homelessness under RCW 28A.300.540. The report explains how the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and Washington’s 2014 Senate Bill 6074 shape identification, protections, and periodic data submission to the Governor and Legislature. It summarizes enrollment patterns and student outcomes across school years, highlighting graduation, attendance, truancy, suspensions, and expulsions using referenced figures and legal definitions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Background

Legislation

Update Status

Enrollment

Student Outcomes

Conclusion and Next Steps

References

Legal Notice

REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE Data on Students Experiencing Homelessness 2025 Authorizing Legislation: RCW 28A.300.540 Dixie Grunenfelder Assistant Superintendent Student Engagement and Special Programs Prepared by: • Keith Woodruff, Assistant Director, Education of Homeless Children and Youth [keith.woodruff@k12.wa.us | 360-725-6505](keith.woodruff@k12.wa.us | 360-725-6505) TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................................ 2 BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Legislation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3 UPDATE STATUS .................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Enrollment........................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 1: Change in the Number of Students Experiencing Homelessness.......................................... 5 Figure 2: Student Enrollment by Student Group, SY 2024-25....................................................................6 Figure 3: Student Enrollment by Grade Level, SY 2024-25..........................................................................7 Figure 4: Student Enrollment by Nighttime Residence Type, School Year 2024-25..........................8 Student Outcomes........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Figure 5: Students Graduation Rates, 4-Year Adjusted Cohort, Class of 2024 ....................................9 Figure 6: Homeless Students Graduation Rates, 5-Year Adjusted Cohort, Class of 2023 ............ 10 Figure 7: Homeless Attendance and Truancy by Student Group, SY 2023-24 ................................. 11 Figure 8: Suspensions and Expulsions by Student Group, SY 2023-24 ................................................ 12 CONCLUSION and NEXT STEPS.................................................................................................................................... 13 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Legal Notice ......................................................................................................................................................................... 15 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act broadly defines homelessness in an effort to provide protections and supports for students living in a variety of unstable housing situations. This ensures school stability and continued enrollment at a time when a student’s nighttime residence may be constantly changing. In Washington, the number of children and youth experiencing homelessness has increased since 2001 when the McKinney-Vento Act began requiring all school districts to annually report the number of students experiencing homelessness who are enrolled in schools. In 2014, the Washington State Legislature passed Senate Bill 6074, which aims to improve educational outcomes for children and youth experiencing homelessness by bolstering student homelessness identification and establishing further data reporting requirements. RCW 28A.300.540 requires the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to report this data every other year. BACKGROUND The National Center for H

FAQs

What law requires Washington OSPI to report data on student homelessness?

RCW 28A.300.540 requires the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to report student homelessness data to the Governor and the Legislature every other year starting January 10, 2015.

How does the federal McKinney-Vento Act define “homeless children and youths”?

It includes individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and it covers situations such as sharing housing due to loss or economic hardship, living in motels or shelters, or living in places not designed for regular sleeping accommodations.

Which student outcomes does the report address?

The report covers graduation rates, homelessness-related attendance and truancy, and suspensions and expulsions, presented by student group and school year using multiple figures.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang