Nearly 9,800 students in Santa Barbara County experienced homelessness during the 2024-25 school year, with education officials saying much of that need is concentrated in North County.
According to Amy Willis, director of Transitional Youth Services with the Santa Barbara County Education Office, 9,783 students were identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2024-25 school year, representing about 14.2% of the county’s student population.
But education officials say student homelessness does not always look the way people might expect…