This PACER brief provides RFA’s updated analysis of data on students experiencing homelessness in Pennsylvania, highlighting prevalence, challenges with identification, disparities in educational opportunities, and impact on academic outcomes. Our main findings include that:
- Roughly 2% of students in Pennsylvania were identified as experiencing homelessness in 2021-22, a slight increase from prior years.
- Pennsylvania has seen a statewide increase in the identification rate of homelessness (the rate of student homelessness/the rate of students in poverty), but continues to rank below the national average, now 30th out of the 50 states.
- Students experiencing homelessness are heavily concentrated in Pennsylvania’s most inadequately funded school districts, which provide fewer educational opportunities, and are increasingly enrolled in cyber charter schools where research has documented consistently poor overall student outcomes.
- Pennsylvania’s students experiencing homelessness are exhibiting worse academic outcomes compared with all students and other economically disadvantaged students.
These findings underscore the urgent need for school leaders and policymakers in Pennsylvania to prioritize new resources and comprehensive strategies to support students experiencing homelessness.
