More Than 40,000 Students Homeless In Washington: OSPI

SEATTLE, WA - The state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released data Thursday showing that more than 40,000 public school students in the state are experiencing homelessness - that's an increase of more than 1,200 over the 2015-16 count, and an increase of more than 10,000 since 2013.

The state's largest school districts, like Seattle and Spokane, have the highest overall number of homeless students. But wealthy school districts are not immune from the problem. There are over 600 homeless students attending the Bellevue and Lake Washington districts, which serve some of the wealthiest parts of the state.

The state started collecting data on homeless students in 2001, and the total population has grown every year since. The state's count includes students who are living outdoors, in a homeless shelter, doubled-up with friends or relatives, or in a motel. The count includes students in grades K-12.

The federal McKinney-Vento Act requires districts to count homeless students. McKinney-Vento also deems that homeless students must be allowed to attend the district where they went before becoming homeless.

Here's a look at homeless populations in districts around Puget Sound (numbers from the 2016-17 OSPI count of homeless students):

• Auburn School District - 306
• Bellevue School District - 256
• Clover Park School District - 526
• Edmonds School District - 638
• Enumclaw School District - 124
• Everett School District - 1,149
• Federal Way School District - 483
• Fife School District - 101
• Highline School District - 1,242
• Issaquah School District - 124
• Kent School District - 509
• Lake Washington School District - 389
• Lakewood School District - 108
• Mercer Island School District - 17
• Northshore School District - 172
• Olympia School District - 264
• Peninsula School District - 149
• Puyallup School District - 430
• Renton School District - 573
• Seattle Public Schools - 4,280
• Shoreline School District - 334
• Spokane School District - 1,387
• Sumner School District - 263
• Tacoma School District - 1,783
• Tukwila School District - 375
• University Place School District - 182
• White River School District - 87

Caption: (L-R) Henry Nance, 5, Lillie Nance, 2, Brittney Nance and Izabella Nance, 7, walk by budget motels on their way to the grocery store March 5, 2009 in West Sacramento, Calif. Brittney and her family were evicted from the house they were renting after her husband, Steve Nance, lost his job. The couple and their three children are living in a budget motel while they save enough money for deposit on a new rental home.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images