Thousands of Latino children in Los Angeles County live in motels, cars or crowded homes as housing instability disrupts school attendance and stretches education support services.
For thousands of children in Los Angeles County, going to school every morning does not mean they have a home to return to at the end of the day.
Some sleep in motel rooms because their families can no longer afford rent. Others share crowded apartments with relatives, move between temporary homes or spend nights in cars while their parents search for more stable housing. Despite these circumstances, they continue attending classes, completing assignments, and trying to keep up with their education.
The crisis is largely hidden from public view. These children are not necessarily living on the streets, and many arrive at school without their classmates knowing that their families are experiencing homelessness.
But the numbers reveal the scale of the problem. In Los Angeles County, approximately 61,249 K to 12 students experienced homelessness during the 2023 to 2024 school year, according to California Department of Education data analyzed by UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools.
The number represented a 28.4 percent increase from the previous school year, when 47,689 students were identified as homeless.
The overwhelming majority of these students are Latino, exposing how the region’s housing affordability crisis is affecting children in communities already facing economic inequality.
According to UCLA researchers, approximately three out of every four students experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County were Latino during the 2023 to 2024 school year. The research also found that English learners represented 34 percent of the homeless student population.
The situation has continued to deteriorate. During the 2024 to 2025 school year, approximately 62,000 students in Los Angeles County experienced homelessness, representing nearly 5 percent of the county’s K to 12 student population, according to a subsequent UCLA analysis reported by LAist.
Homelessness does not always mean living on the street
One reason the problem remains largely invisible is that the definition of student homelessness is broader than many people realize.
Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, children can qualify for educational protections if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
That includes students living in emergency shelters, motels or hotels because they cannot afford permanent housing. It also includes children living in cars, parks or other places not designed for regular sleeping.
Another large group consists of families temporarily sharing housing with relatives or friends because of economic hardship, eviction or the loss of their home.
For Latino families struggling with rising rents and limited affordable housing, doubling up with relatives can become the only available option.
A family of four may be sharing a small apartment with another household, with children sleeping in living rooms or sharing beds. The arrangement may last weeks or months, but it does not necessarily provide the stability children need to succeed in school.
The UCLA research also found that student homelessness is particularly concentrated in certain parts of the county.
Norwalk La Mirada Elementary School District reported that nearly one in three of its students experienced homelessness during the 2023 to 2024 school year. Several districts in the San Gabriel Valley also reported particularly high rates.
These findings demonstrate that the crisis extends beyond downtown Los Angeles and the neighborhoods most commonly associated with homelessness.
The price children pay in the classroom
Losing a home can mean losing much more than a place to sleep.
For students, housing instability can interrupt education, create transportation problems and make it difficult to maintain relationships with teachers and classmates.
A child who moves from one temporary home to another may have to change schools, travel longer distances or miss classes while parents search for housing.
The academic consequences are already visible.
UCLA researchers found that 37.2 percent of students experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County were chronically absent during the 2023 to 2024 school year. That means they missed at least 10 percent of the school year.
The figure was significantly higher than the rate among the general student population.
Students experiencing homelessness also recorded lower proficiency levels in English language arts and mathematics and higher dropout rates, according to the research.
The consequences can extend well beyond graduation. Children who struggle to maintain consistent attendance and academic progress may face additional barriers when applying to college, pursuing vocational training or entering the workforce.
Latino families face additional barriers
For Latino families, the housing crisis can intersect with language barriers, immigration concerns and unstable employment.
UCLA researchers found that families sometimes avoid identifying themselves as homeless because of stigma, fear of involvement from child welfare authorities or concerns about possible immigration consequences.
Some parents also do not understand that their temporary living arrangements may qualify their children for educational assistance.
The findings come from a separate UCLA study, Hidden in Plain Sight: Fear, Underidentification, and Funding Gaps for Housing-Insecure Students in Los Angeles County, which examined interviews with school district homeless education coordinators and county officials.
Researchers found that inconsistent identification procedures and fragmented information systems make it harder for schools to recognize students who need assistance.
The concerns are especially significant for immigrant families who may be unfamiliar with the education system or reluctant to share personal information with public institutions.
Being undocumented does not disqualify a child from protections under the McKinney Vento Act. Public schools must provide eligible children access to education regardless of immigration status.
However, the existence of those protections does not guarantee that every family knows about them or feels comfortable requesting help.
Schools are struggling to meet the need
Schools have become an important safety net for children experiencing homelessness, providing more than an education.
Under McKinney-Vento, eligible students can receive assistance with school enrollment, transportation, meals, and other services intended to prevent housing instability from interrupting their education.
The Los Angeles County Office of Education supports homeless education programs across the county’s 80 school districts and hundreds of charter schools.
But the need continues to exceed available resources.
In its 2024 to 2025 annual report, the county education office surveyed homeless education coordinators about the most pressing unmet needs among students and families.
Transportation was identified by 84 percent of respondents, while 76 percent identified food and nutrition as an unmet need. Emergency shelter and transitional housing were also major concerns, cited by 52 percent of respondents. Another 51 percent identified the need for permanent affordable housing.
More than half of the coordinators surveyed said they believed student homelessness had increased compared with the previous school year, primarily because of economic and family pressures.
The county’s education office also reported that its specialized education coordinators served 4,327 young people and families experiencing homelessness during the 2024 to 2025 school year, helping connect them with housing and educational support.
A crisis that extends beyond the classroom
The latest statewide figures reinforce the urgency of the problem.
According to UCLA’s August 2026 report, State of Crisis 2026, nearly 300,000 California K to 12 students experienced homelessness during the 2024 to 2025 school year, the highest number recorded in the state.
The report found that student homelessness has become an educational equity issue, affecting attendance, academic achievement, graduation and opportunities to pursue higher education.
Los Angeles County accounts for approximately 62,000 of those students.
For Latino communities, the numbers represent more than a housing problem. They reflect the difficulties families face trying to remain in increasingly expensive neighborhoods while providing their children with the stability necessary to succeed.
A child may arrive at school with homework completed, participate in class and sit alongside friends without anyone knowing that the family spent the previous night in a motel or another household’s living room.
Teachers may see a student who is frequently absent or struggling academically without knowing that the problem begins with the lack of a permanent home.
The challenge for Los Angeles is not simply getting these children into classrooms. It is ensuring they have the stability, resources and support to remain there.
For tens of thousands of students, school may be the most consistent part of their lives. But an education cannot solve the housing crisis waiting for them when the final bell rings.
