At Scholarship Prep South Bay in Wilmington, Calif., school leaders say an attendance strategy centered on basic needs, trust, and community care helped ensure that no student experiencing homelessness at the charter school was chronically absent — an unusual result in a state where unstable housing often contributes to repeated missed school days.
Here's what to know
The school served 421 students, including 54 who were experiencing homelessness, according to the Los Angeles Times. Scholarship Prep South Bay spans transitional kindergarten through eighth grade, and nearly 93% of its students come from low-income families.
Support at the school extends well beyond academics. Students receive meals, before- and after-school care, uniforms, hygiene supplies, on-campus health and wellness services, and access to washers and dryers. Families can also get weekly food boxes, grocery assistance, hotel help, and Metro GoPass TAP cards for transportation.
Scholarship Prep chief executive and co-founder Jason Watts said the model is both simple and far-reaching, per the Times: "We create a school where everyone is welcome, cares about students and families, has incredible wraparound services, gives students what they need — and they stay."
California data show a sharp difference in absenteeism rates. About 35% of students experiencing homelessness are chronically absent statewide, compared with 19% of students overall. Studies from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools found that the number of homeless students in Los Angeles County increased from 47,689 in the 2022-23 school year to 61,249 in 2023-24.
More background
Trauma-informed support is part of the school's everyday approach. Staff members are trained to help children who have experienced trauma, and social and emotional learning is built into daily classroom lessons.
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Kristen Crowe, the school's chief community officer, said that approach begins with dignity.
"We lead with love and respect," Crowe said, per the Times, describing a family resource center focused on belonging rather than judgment.
Each classroom has a "rainbow cart" stocked with basics such as deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair care products, and school supplies. The school also starts the day with a morning meeting so teachers can check in and get a sense of how students are doing.
According to the Times, Jace, a 14-year-old eighth grader, said, "My favorite thing about being here is that the teachers are very friendly, and you get to connect with them. They're very helpful also, no matter if you need support with a specific subject, whether it's outside of school or not."
What's being done?
To keep the support system in place, Scholarship Prep South Bay says it works with more than 50 community partners. Those partnerships help supply food, school materials, hygiene kits, counseling, and other services meant to reduce the barriers that can keep children out of class.
Students also have access to calming corners in their classrooms, stocked with breathing exercise instructions, fidgets, stress balls, and noise-canceling headphones. If they need more time to reset, they can spend 10 minutes in a mental health room to decompress.
Spring 2025 state test results show the school still has areas to improve, especially in math. The paper noted that those comparisons may not fully reflect the school's circumstances, given its high share of low-income and homeless students and the challenges of frequent student mobility.
"Loving the whole child includes the family," said Principal Allison Vann, the Times reported.
Jennifer Friend, CEO of Project Hope Alliance, added, "Our greatest impact is by investing in today's students experiencing homelessness. Every day I get to watch our youth show up powerfully, and that is an investment well placed," per the Times.
Where can I learn more?
Supporting student engagement usually starts with addressing basic necessities, such as reliable transit and nutrition, while fostering an encouraging environment on campus. Across different communities, schools are enriching student experiences through accessible meals, eco-friendly transportation, and interactive initiatives that build strong connections.
• Teachers and parents organized food collections, put out for families after school.
• In Oakland, the district made a groundbreaking decision to electrify buses for cleaner rides.
• Teachers harnessed children's curiosity to help inspire school composting and cut cafeteria waste.
By fostering a welcoming environment and simplifying daily routines, schools create the foundation students need to attend consistently. Scholarship Prep South Bay's impressive attendance progress reflects the power of this dedicated approach.
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