Homelessness amongst public high school students may be higher than you think. 

Homeless students are homeless with their families or they are out on their own, said an article on USNews.com. Of the nearly 1.26 million public school students who were homeless during the 2012-13 school year, "about 317,000 were in high school, according to data released last week from the National Center for Homeless Education."

Public schools are required under federal law to ensure homeless students have access to a free public education, the article said. The schools are required to keep homeless students in their school, "regardless of where they end up, and schools must provide students transportation to that school."

"They are typically homeless because of a very bad situation at home, abuse or neglect," said Barbara Duffield, director of policy and programs at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. "On the flip side, teens who are homeless with their families may be in a parental role, taking care of younger siblings."

According to the 2014 Don't Call Them Dropouts report, young people who are homeless are 87 percent more likely to stop going to school. The article said when services public schools supply aren't enough for students, "some community organizations fill the void."

Most of the schools systems are already stretched with the funding," says Cheryl Opper, founder and executive director of Schools on Wheels of Massachusetts. "Most of the funding goes toward the transportation for students to get back and forth to school."

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor