Nowhere to go: Idaho’s Homeless Families and Youth
Idaho Homeless Enrollment by District Poverty Level
This map shows the correlation of poverty to homelessness in the state of Idaho. Statewide, approximately 47% of students qualify for free and/or reduced price lunches. National data trends show that approximately 10% of students qualifying for free and or reduced price lunch may be living in homeless situations.
On average the percentage of students living in McKinney-Vento eligible situations is 2.5% of our total student population.
In Idaho, we have students who have been identified as homeless living throughout the state in both urban and rural areas - though our more urban areas have a larger total number.
Students Experiencing Homelessness in Idaho
This graph illustrates the number of unduplicated homeless students throughout the state of Idaho from 2018-2023 School Years (SY):
- SY 2018-2019: 8,086 homeless youth
- SY 2019-2020: 7,835 homeless youth
- SY 2020-2021: 7,381 homeless youth
- SY 2021-2022: 8,433 homeless youth
- SY 2022-2023: 9,144 homeless youth
- SY 2023-2024: 9,125 homeless youth
Idaho Student Living Situations
This chart shows the percentages of homeless students based on where they were living during 2023-2024:
- 7,346 were living in shared housing or doubled-up (living with friends of family
- 860 were living in hotels/motels
- 833 were unsheltered (living in cars, campers without utilities, or substandard conditions)
- 498 were living in shelters or transitional housing
Information comes from the district reported numbers.
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
An Unaccompanied Homeless Youth is an individual who meets the McKinney-Vento definition of lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate living situation AND is also not in the physical custody of his/her parent or guardian.
This map shows the percentage of identified Homeless Children/Youth in Idaho who are considered Unaccompanied Homeless Youth by color. The darker the area the higher percentage of students who are navigating homelessness on their own.
