Kentucky education officials reported more students in the Commonwealth who are experiencing homelessness are being identified for support interventions.
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act created a definition for homelessness and put supports in place for students in need. Zach Stumbo with the Kentucky Department of Education said the identification of students eligible for McKinney-Vento reached a high for the past five years.
“We don’t believe that more people are eligible for McKinney-Vento, we think that our identification efforts are getting better and as a lagging indicator to that, we believe that as we improve identification rates, Kentucky homeless student graduation rates also increase,” said Stumbo.
Nearly 88 percent of homeless students graduated on time in 2023-2024, according to data from the KDE. Children missing one of three specified elements of a nighttime residence and living in substandard housing can meet the definition for homelessness under McKinney-Vento. Students and families can work with their local educational agency’s homeless liaison in obtaining resources to support the student’s academic success.
“Every state must have a state homeless coordinator and local education agencies, which we call LEA’s, must have a homeless liaison,” said Stumbo. “Students experiencing homelessness must be immediately enrolled, and barriers must be removed to ensure their education.”
The Kentucky Department of Education collects data annually from reports by each district and school. Homeless student-count data for the past three years is documented and presented for public information. More information can be found at the KDE’s website.