Almost half of New York City\u2019s homeless students were chronically absent from school last year, according to an analysis published Monday by the group Advocates for Children of New York.<\/p>\n
The data shows roughly 154,000 students in the city’s public schools during the 2024-2025 academic year were homeless, meaning they lived in shelters or “doubled up” with other families, marking a record high<\/a> in a number that’s been climbing for a decade amid the city\u2019s affordability crisis.<\/p>\n The report found 49% of students whose families lived in temporary housing with other family members or friends missed at least one out of every 10 of their school days last year. That rate was even higher for students living in shelters, at 63%.<\/p>\n Attendance is one of many challenges facing New York City’s staggeringly large homeless student population, which eclipses the entire school-age population of many other major American cities.<\/p>\n Homeless students also lag far behind their peers academically, the new report found, with less than 33% of scoring proficient in reading and 35% in math. That compares to roughly 60%, in each subject, among their classmates in steady housing.<\/p>\n \u201cEducation is the best tool we have to prevent future homelessness, and only bold leadership from City Hall can bring the urgency and coordination needed to ensure students who are homeless can get to school every day and access the educational support they need to thrive,\u201d said Jennifer Pringle, a director at Advocates for Children.<\/p>\n Education department representatives did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n