Children and youth in foster care represent one of the most vulnerable student subgroups in this country. Of the approximately 415,000 children in foster care in 2014, nearly 270,000 were in elementary and secondary schools.  Studies find children in foster care are much more likely than their peers are to struggle academically and fall behind in school.  Students in foster care at age 17 are also less likely to graduate from high school; with only 65 percent, graduating by age 21 compared to 86 percent among all youth ages 18 to 24.

 

Children in foster care experience much higher levels of residential and school instability than their peers; one study showed that 75 percent of children in foster care made an unscheduled school change in one school year, compared to less than 40 percent for children not in foster care.  Unplanned school changes may be associated with delays in children’s academic progress, leaving highly mobile students potentially more likely to fall behind their less mobile peers academically. Children experiencing this type of instability, including many students in foster care, are thus more likely to face a variety of academic difficulties.

The school district Point of Contact is the first line of contact for students entering foster care or changing foster care placement. Some of the roles and responsibilities include: