A rise in students facing homelessness documented in the 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report corresponds with an increase in McKinney-Vento students being served by EverDriven

EverDriven, the national leader in Alternative Student Transportation, has reported a 167.4% increase in the number of McKinney-Vento students driven since 2020. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defines homeless children and youth as students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This legislation requires school districts to offer transportation to students who are experiencing homelessness or live in unstable housing, even if they’re temporarily located outside the district.

The increase in McKinney-Vento students served by EverDriven aligns with findings from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, which reports that homelessness continues to soar. The department’s 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress reveals that the U.S. faces the highest level of homelessness ever recorded. Specifically, the percentage of families with children experiencing homelessness rose by nearly 39% in just one year, marking the greatest increase on record.

This growing percentage of students eligible for McKinney-Vento support often struggle with school attendance given the instability of their day-to-day lives. According to a March 2024 report on The Education of Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness, lack of transportation is one of the key causes of chronic absenteeism.

“Homelessness among students is a national problem, and transportation remains one of the most crucial barriers to education for these students,” said Mitch Bowling, CEO at EverDriven. “Reliable transportation ensures that students experiencing homelessness can attend school to access shelter, meals, community, education, and stability, all of which are essential to their development. It’s our mission at EverDriven to serve this population and protect them from the long-term effects of chronic absenteeism.”

To ensure equitable access to education, school districts need a reliable partner like EverDriven. With flexible trip configurations and carpools, as well as best-in-class technology and the highest safety standards in the industry, EverDriven drives educational outcomes for McKinney-Vento students and school districts.

Vulnerable students thrive with EverDriven’s targeted support:

• 80% of students ride with the same driver every day, an industry-leading standard
• Flexible pick-up and drop-off locations
• Access to support, social services, meals, and education at school
• The EverDriven VIP app, which offers parents, guardians, and school staff transparency and real-time tracking

“Changes in a student’s housing should not affect their ability to get to school, and at EverDriven, we go the extra mile to make sure they can,” said Bowling. “We understand the critical role that consistent education plays in shaping a child’s future. Our services are designed to combat chronic absenteeism and provide stability in otherwise uncertain circumstances.”

When school districts partner with EverDriven, they drive educational outcomes—including improved attendance rates and student test scores—at scale while saving on administrative costs.

To learn more about EverDriven and how it supports school districts and students experiencing homelessness, visit https://www.everdriven.com.

About EverDriven

EverDriven is the leader in Alternative Student Transportation for school districts nationwide. With nearly 700 school district contracts and over 28,000 students served last year alone, EverDriven has established itself as a nationwide leader in safety and technology-enabled Alternative Student Transportation. Leveraging proprietary routing technology and customized transportation services, the company has been instrumental in addressing driver shortages, reducing chronic absenteeism, accommodating varying bell times, and meeting unique student needs related to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, special education, ESSA, hard-to-serve trips, and out-of-district placements. For more information, visit everdriven.com.

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