California Spent $25 Billion — Homeless Students Still Rising

California student homelessness up 10% since 2020 — now roughly 300,000 K-12 students — despite $25 billion in state homelessness spending, according to a UCLA report. - The numbers: Homelessness among K-12 students has grown from ~260,000-270,000 to roughly 300,000 since the pandemic. Districts like Monterey and Santa Monica report nearly 40% of their student population experiencing homelessness. - Educational impact: Homeless students show higher chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, and lower graduation rates compared to housed peers, per the UCLA report. - The spending: California has spent approximately $25 billion on homelessness programs statewide since 2019, plus a new $116 million K-12-specific allocation in the 2026-27 budget. Critics, including Pacific Research Institute's Lance Izumi, argue funding alone hasn't reduced the numbers. The Center Square's education reporter Esther Wickham reports. Should more funding go toward this issue, or should resources shift to programs with proven results? Leave your thoughts below. #CaliforniaHomelessness #StudentHomelessness #K12Education #CenterSquare #TheStates