Schools

Coming Monday: Bellevue School District Sees Increase in Homeless Family Population

Patch and Investigate West teamed up for a set of stories chronicling how local school districts are grappling with rising homelessness.

Bellevue Editor's profile picture
Bellevue Editor, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
|

A team of InvestigateWest reporters and researchers collaborating with Patch local editors spent the last several months looking at how Washington is grappling with a growing population of homeless students -- even as budget cuts further slash their ability to meet their federal obligation to help those students.

Among the findings statewide and in Bellevue coming Monday:

  • In the 2009-2010 school year, schools reported 21,826 homeless students statewide, up 30 percent from the 2006-07 school year.

Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Within school districts with the highest number of homeless students, districts saw increases in the number of students without regular homes ranging from 3 percent to 104 percent.

  • Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, school districts are required to identify and report homeless students and to guarantee those students transportation so they can stay at their original schools even if they have been forced to find emergency shelter outside the district. The cost to the districts to meet this mandate is heavy.

    • Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • A small 2006 pilot study by the Washington State Department of Transportation found that while homeless kids typically had lower grades and state test scores than non-homeless students, the grades and scores were better among those homeless students who stayed in their original schools.

    • Related materials:

    • Interactive Map – Click on your individual county and your school.

    • For more coverage on other Patch sites look here:

    Edmonds Patch:

             Day 1

    Enumclaw Patch

    Day 1:


    Kirkland Patch

    Day 1:


    Redmond Patch


    Woodinville Patch:


    Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Patch:


    InvestigateWest, is an independent, non profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of investigative and narrative journalism.

    Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

    We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

    More from Bellevue