LOS ANGELES (KNX) - Close to 13,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District are currently homeless, with 2000 school-aged children living in crisis housing facilities across the district.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the number has jumped from about 9000 last year to 12,902 this year. Families have told him they’ve been impacted by economic conditions, inflation, and the unaffordability of housing.
Students experiencing homelessness are significantly more likely to miss school than their peers. During the 2021-22 school year, 68% of homeless students were chronically absent, the L.A. Times reported.
Outreach took place today as part of the school district’s iAttend initiative, which seeks to curb chronic absenteeism and boost attendance. The goal is to connect families with school communities and provide them with educational resources.
Carvalho said the outreach initiative has shown success in getting kids back to school.
“We’ve seen an 11% decrease in chronic absenteeism. We have seen a statistically significant increase in average daily attendance,” he said. “Are we where we need to be? Absolutely not. Are we making progress? Yes, we are.”
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