Student homelessness hits record high

Nearly 1.3 million students, from preschool age to seniors in high school, were homeless during the 2012-2013 academic year, according to the newest statistics from the National Center for Homeless Education.

The group, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, cited a record number of students who had no real place to call home after the final bell.

Dozens of states, including New Jersey, experienced a spike in their count of homeless students compared to the year prior.

"The families that were the hardest hit by the recession are also the ones who are the least likely to be able to take advantage of the recovery," said Barbara Duffield, policy director of the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, reacting to the report. "There's a lag effect there - many families still struggling with poverty and lack of housing."

Duffield noted a number of these homeless students are headed to shelters after school, but most find themselves in a much less reliable situation, jumping from a couch to a basement to a car.

"It's not their home. They can be kicked out at a moment's notice," Duffield said. "They don't even know how long they can stay there, and frankly, some of these situations are not very safe."

Natural disasters, meanwhile, played a bigger role than usual in the annual report. Events such as Superstorm Sandy knocked families out of their homes for months.

Duffield said homelessness has a devastating effect on every aspect of a child and youth's life, including school performance.

"If they don't know what's happening, where their next meal is coming from, what's happening to their siblings or their parents, where they're going to sleep, it's very difficult to concentrate in class," she said.