Homeless Students Enrolled in U.S. Schools Hits Record High

A new report shows that public schools enrolled a record number of homeless students during the 2011-2012 school year.

The annual report from the National Center for Homeless Education, which is funded by the Department of Education, found that nearly 1.2 million homeless students enrolled in schools across the U.S, a 10 percent increase from the previous school year. The numbers are an all-time high for the survey and represents a 72 percent increase since the recession began in 2007.

Nationally, 43 states reported increases in the total number of homeless students enrolled. Ten states experienced a surge of homeless students of 20 percent or more, while another 9 states and the District of Columbia saw decreases. There was a staggering 212 percent increase in homeless students in North Dakota schools.

California, New York, Florida, Illinois and Michigan have some of the highest numbers of homeless students, according to the report.

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