State Performance Audit On Student Homelessness

The homeless are not always who you think they are.
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Opportunities to Better Identify and Serve K-12 Students Experiencing Homelessness:

Washington has the eighth-highest rate of identified student homelessness in the country. The number of identified homeless students in Washington’s kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) education system has grown to more than 40,000. This marks more than a 30 percent increase in student homelessness between the 2012-13 and 2016-17 school years.


Student homelessness in Washington’s schools is caused by a combination of factors, including economic trends and family crisis. School districts are responsible for identifying homeless students and ensuring their educational success. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Department of Commerce are responsible for supporting school districts’ efforts to assist these students. However, the needs of homeless students are diverse and complex, extending beyond services schools typically provide.

Homelessness is a stressful experience that profoundly affects students’ well-being and ability to succeed in school. The growing proportion of homeless students in the state’s K-12 population has prompted stakeholder interest into the problems facing homeless students, what educational and other agencies are doing to identify and help them, and which strategies can most effectively improve these agencies’ efforts.

While most homeless students do not live on the street or in a shelter, homelessness is still a stressful experience that adversely affects their well-being and education (page 12) The vast majority of homeless students do not live in shelters or on the street, but instead live with others — a practice called “doubling up.” While doubling-up might not seem as severe as living in shelters or on the street, these students have similar educational outcomes. Homeless students are found in similar proportions in rural and urban areas, and on the east and west side of the state. Regardless of the place or the manner in which homeless students live, homelessness is a stressful experience that adversely affects students’ well-being and education.

-- Pat McArthy, State Auditor
    Performance Audit, "Executive Summary,"4/30/19