Student homelessness increased across many Greater Houston-area school districts over the last five school years, while foster care numbers showed a more uneven pattern from district to district, according to Texas Education Agency data released March 6.
The overview
Community Impact reviewed TEA data for 28 Greater Houston-area school districts to compare the number of enrolled students identified as experiencing homelessness or living in foster care in 2025-26 versus 2021-22. In the foster care data, Fort Bend ISD and Aldine ISD had the highest counts in 2025-26.
In the homelessness data, Houston ISD stood above the rest of the districts shown, nearing 6,000 students in 2025-26. Other districts, including Alief ISD, Clear Creek ISD, Conroe ISD and Fort Bend ISD, all showed higher homeless student counts in 2025-26 than in 2021-22, while several others were flat or down.
Put in perspective
Several districts had higher homeless student counts in 2025-26 than they did in 2021-22, showing that more families and students are dealing with housing instability even as enrollment patterns continue shifting across the region.
Foster care data, by comparison, did not move in one direction across the board. Some districts saw increases over the same period, while others posted declines.
Districts, including Houston ISD, Katy ISD and Lamar CISD, posted gains over the five-year period, while others, such as Cy-Fair ISD, Klein ISD, Pearland ISD and Splendora ISD, saw declines.
