Who qualifies for McKinney-Vento?

Any child or youth who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence including: * Those who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship,

  • are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; 
  • are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals;* 
  • Those who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings 
  • Those who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and 
  • Those identified by the Migrant Education Program (as defined in section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless because the children are living in circumstances described in the bullet points above.

McKinney-Vento Rights

Automatic enrollment

  • Immediate enrollment when a youth is unaccompanied, independent of parents or legal guardians
  • Continued attendance in school of origin, or the school they last attended while housed
  • Transportation to the school of origin (if it's a barrier) through school bus, district vehicle, public transportation, taxi or provision of fuel assistance
  • All general school fees waived
  • Free meals; do not need to fill out Free / Reduced lunch form
  • High school counselor career and college preparation navigation
  • Independent Status on FAFSA, meaning they do not need to file their parents / legal guardians tax information, which increases their free grant money​
McKinney - Vento Serving students in Transition