Every year, student data is collected for students and youth experiencing homelessness per the McKinney-Vento definition - namely, students and youth lacking fixed, regular or adequate housing. Every fall, a summary document in which the numbers of identified students experiencing homelessness from the previous school year is placed on KSDE’s McKinney-Vento webpage.   

In the 2023–24 school year, 198 of the 286 Kansas school districts reported identification of 8,799 students experiencing homelessness. This total includes identified students in grades one through 12 as well as students participating in public school early childhood programs (students ages three to five), and kindergarten.   

Of the 8,799 identified McKinney-Vento statewide total, 6,962 were doubled up (living with another family), 850 were in shelters or transitional housing, 212 were unsheltered (cars, parks, campgrounds, or abandoned buildings), and 784 were staying in hotels or motels. The number of unaccompanied youths, meaning students not living with a biological parent or a legal guardian, was 1,118.    

In the 2023–24 school year, the homeless children and youth (HCY) population represented approximately 1.7% of the total Kansas student population. The percentage of HCY who were chronically absent was 45.2% and the graduation rate was 74.7%.   

Contact Maureen Tabasko, mtabasko@ksde.org or Roxanne Zillinger, rzillinger@ksde.org with general questions or questions about the McKinney-Vento student data.