Orange County schools identified more than 32,000 students experiencing homelessness or housing instability during the 2024-25 school year.
The figure comes from the Orange County Department of Education and reflects a broader federal education definition than the one used in the county’s annual street and shelter count.
Two Different Measures
Orange County’s 2026 Point in Time Count identified 6,321 people experiencing homelessness during a specific period in January. Schools, however, identify eligible students throughout the entire academic year under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
That law includes students living in shelters or without housing, but also children and youth who are temporarily staying with other families because they lost housing or are experiencing economic hardship.
Most Students Were Not Living on the Street
OCDE reported that roughly 91% of the students identified were living in doubled- or tripled-up housing situations rather than being unsheltered.
The agency said the data highlight forms of housing instability that can be largely invisible outside the school system and can affect attendance, transportation and a student’s ability to remain connected to the same school.
