WISCONSIN — Student homelessness in Wisconsin reached a new high in the 2023-24 school year, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum

There were a total of 20,195 students in Wisconsin public schools who were identified as homeless during that year, a 9.1% increase from the previous year. It was also the highest number since 2019.

What You Need To Know

  • There were a total of 20,195 students in Wisconsin public schools who were identified as homeless during the 2023-24 school year, a 9.1% increase from the previous year

  • It's the highest number since 2019

  • The rate of student homelessness gets larger among certain student groups. Those with disabilities had a homelessness rate of 3.9%; English learners had a rate of 5.6%. Students of color also had it harder, with a rate of 5.5%

  • Age also showed some divergences. Younger students had a higher rate of homelessness than older students

Forum officials said this number may not even be the most accurate, as homeless individuals are usually the least connected to schools. Data relies on the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act’s definition, which defines it as “those who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.”

That includes:

  • “Sharing housing due to loss of housing or economic hardship
  • “Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative accommodations
  • “Living in emergency or transitional shelters
  • “Sleeping in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, or substandard housing”

Wisconsin’s increase comes after a 2021 decline that was the lowest level since the pandemic, though officials attributed that to COVID financial support, eviction moratoriums and general underreporting because of virtual learning.

Now, with improved reporting, those numbers are going up, people told Wisconsin Policy Forum officials.

Student homelessness was at a rate of 2.5% in 2024.

That rate gets larger among certain student groups. Those with disabilities had a homelessness rate of 3.9%; English learners had a rate of 5.6%. Students of color also had it harder, with a rate of 5.5%.

Age also showed some divergences. Younger students had a higher rate of homelessness than older students. The rate slowly drops as those students get older, which officials said may be due to the fact that schools officials don’t have as much communication with families as those students age.

Once students get closer to 12th grade, the homelessness rate once again jumps back up. Officials explained this may be tied to graduation, as students begin communication more with schools at this stage. It also may be that students in their final year are turning 18 and leaving “difficult living situations even if they do not have adequate housing options,” the report said.

As homeless students get older, there are also a higher number that live unaccompanied or live without a parent or guardian. There was a 98.5% increase from 11th grade to 12th grade of unaccompanied students in the graduating class of 2024. At least 43.6% of homeless students didn’t live with a parent or guardian in their senior year from that class.

This is disproportionately larger in heavily populated school district, including Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Last year, the district served 40.7% of the state’s reported students living without a parent of guardian.

Officials don’t expect these rates to decrease any time soon.

“The number of students affected by homelessness has grown and is likely to continue to remain high in the near future as an insufficient supply of affordable housing remains a lingering problem throughout the state,” the report said.

Students who are homeless often face a worse educational experience, with lower graduation and academic success rates.

The report said that’s why addressing the needs of these students will be beneficial to the whole of Wisconsin’s education system.

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