The number of homeless public school students across the United States reached a record high of more than 1.1 million during the 2011–2012 school year, according to new data released by the U.S. Department of Education.

That’s 10 percent higher than the previous year and 72 percent higher than before the recession.

In 10 states, the increase was 20 percent or more, the data show. In North Dakota, the state with the greatest jump, homelessness among public school students increased by 212 percent. Maine and North Carolina followed, with increases of 58 and 53 percent, respectively. Dramatic increases were also seen in Michigan (42 percent), Wyoming (40 percent), South Dakota (35 percent) and Vermont (31 percent).

Nevertheless, the greatest concentrations of homeless students continue to be in California, New York, Texas and Florida.

The data, which is housed on the website of the Education Department’s National Center for Homeless Education, also show that around half of all homeless children in grades 3-8 who took standardized tests in math and around half of those who took the tests in English during the 2011–12 school year met or exceeded proficiency standards. For high schoolers, 49 percent of those who took standardized tests in English in the 2011–2012 school year met or exceeded standards, while 42 percent of those taking tests in math met or exceeded standards.

The Washington Post, Oct. 24