Determining McKinney-Vento Program Eligibility

NCHE Resources

Confirming Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services updated May 2024

To determine a student’s McKinney-Vento eligibility, school districts must determine whether a student’s living arrangement meets the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless. In this process, school districts may encounter instances where they feel the need to confirm information provided about a child’s or youth’s living arrangement. This NCHE brief provides local homeless education liaisons and school districts with recommended steps to take and practices to avoid when seeking to confirm a student’s McKinney-Vento eligibility.
Go to Confirming Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services.

Determining Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services updated March 2021

This NCHE brief provides local homeless education liaisons and other school personnel with an in-depth understanding of the McKinney-Vento definition of homeless. It also outlines a step-by-step process for making determinations of McKinney-Vento eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
Download Determining Eligibility for McKinney-Vento Rights and Services.

Eligibility Flowchart

This NCHE flowchart provides a simple process of determining the McKinney-Vento eligibility of students. It addresses some more common living arrangements with questions designed to solicit the information needed to make accurate eligibility determinations.
Download the Eligibility Flowchart.

Other Resources

Code of Federal Regulations: Title 24, Section 5.425 (24 C.F.R. § 5.425) – Federal Preference: Substandard Housing

These federal regulations discuss the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of substandard housing for purposes of administering the federal Section 8 and Public Housing Assistance Programs.
View 24 C.F.R. § 5.425 – Federal Preference: Substandard Housing.

Measuring Overcrowding in Housing

This report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development examines the issue of overcrowding in housing within the United States based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey (AHS). In addition to examining trends, it presents alternative definitions of overcrowding based on an extensive literature review, including definitions based on persons-per-room (PPR), persons-per-bedroom (PPB), unit square footage-per-person (USFPP), and persons-per-room (PPR) by unit square footage-per-person (USFPP).
Download Measuring Overcrowding in Housing.

Sample Forms, Materials, and Policies

Bellingham Public Schools: Student Housing Questionnaire

This one-page questionnaire is used by Bellingham Public Schools (WA) to determine eligibility for McKinney-Vento services. It provides the ability for unaccompanied students to verify their own living arrangements by signing for themselves. Other districts may use this form as a guide for developing their own residency questionnaires.
Download the Student Housing Questionnaire English | Student Housing Questionnaire Spanish.

Cobb County School District (Atlanta, GA): Administrative Forms

See Section J: Homeless Students of Cobb County School District’s Board Policies and Administrative Rules for a variety of forms related to enrolling and educating children and youth experiencing homelessness, including:

Information on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
Procedure for Free Lunch
Procedure For Transportation to School of Origin
School of Origin Request
Student Residency Statement
Written Notification Form
Forms are available in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Visit the Cobb County School District (Atlanta, GA): Administrative Forms webpage.

District School Board of Pasco County: Student/Family Domicile Questionnaire

This one-page questionnaire is used by the District School Board of Pasco County to determine eligibility for services under Title I, Part A, Title I, Part C-Migrant, or Title X, Part C-McKinney-Vento. Other districts may use this form as a guide for developing their own domicile questionnaires.
Download the District School Board of Pasco County: Student/Family Domicile Questionnaire.

Louisiana Student Residency Questionnaire

This one-page questionnaire, developed by the Louisiana Department of Education and available in a variety of languages, may be used to determine homelessness upon school enrollment. Other states may use this form as a guide for developing their own residency questionnaires.
Download the Louisiana Student Residency Questionnaire (scroll to Homeless Education Services).

New York City Department of Education: Housing Questionnaire

This one-page questionnaire, developed by the New York City Department of Education and available in English, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu, may be used to determine homelessness upon school enrollment. Other school districts may use this form as a guide for developing their own housing questionnaires.
Download the housing questionnaire.

Texas Student Residency Questionnaire

This one-page questionnaire, developed by the Texas Homeless Education Office (THEO), may be used to determine homelessness upon school enrollment. Other states may use this form as a guide for developing their own residency questionnaires.
Download the questionnaire in English | Spanish.