Children in foster care represent one of the most academically vulnerable populations within educational systems. Of the approximately 328,000 children in foster care nationwide in 2024, approximately 62 percent were school-aged (USHHS, 2022). Foster youth are more likely than their peers to experience a host of barriers that lead to troubling outcomes, including low academic achievement, grade retention, and lower high school graduation rates. These outcomes are due, in large part, to the high mobility of this student population, who experience much higher levels of residential and school instability than do most other student populations Over one-third of youth in foster care experience five or more school changes (Benbenishty et al., 2018).

Among the students who are in foster care, 32 percent are placed with relatives, 46 percent in foster family homes, 4 percent in group homes, and the remaining 18 percent in various other placements, such as institutions and pre-adoptive homes (Storey & Fletcher, 2022). As of 2024, around 2.5 million children are being raised in kinship families in the United States (Child Welfare Information Gateway, n.d.). Kinship care seeks out and provides an opportunity for a close family friend or relative to care for the child. However, because these students are not identified “in the system,” this distinction creates educational environments where these foster youth are not positioned to receive the support that they need.

Foster youth belongingness When it comes to a relationship with foster families, a number of studies have investigated how a bond develops over time and is linked to a sense of belonging (or lack thereof) with the foster family (Bengtsson & Luckow, 2020; Fylkesnes et al., 2021). Espino et al. (2025) report that of the 67,000 foster youth in California, 79 percent did not feel connected, 68 percent didn’t feel supported, and 83 percent didn’t feel respected in foster care. Foster youth have mentioned that agency, genuine support, and close connections, including contact with the birth family, have led to their sense of belonging (Lamb, 2022). Social workers, foster parents, and field supervisors play equal roles in ensuring foster youth have safe placement stability, where they feel included. While these relationships are impactful for foster youth, it is also imperative to determine the ways in which relationships with foster youth are developed at school.

Navigating school can be challenging for any student, but those challenges are even more pronounced for students in foster care. According to a 2025 study (Espino et al.), the majority of foster youth said they did not have help from a foster parent or another adult at their placement in graduating from high school (n=56 percent) or preparing for college (n=63 percent). A little over 70 percent said the same regarding social worker support in graduating high school and preparing for college. A positive PK-12 education experience has the potential to be a powerful counterweight to the abuse, neglect, separation, impermanence, and other barriers these vulnerable students experience (USDE, 2025).

Connecting foster youth to school support It’s worth noting that foster youth who have been officially identified in the juvenile court systems receive available state support, but some kinship students do not. Students who are not officially identified as foster youth do not qualify for federally mandated school site support, such as counseling, social-emotional, or academic support. Therefore, their experiences of being fostered, coupled with experiences of physical, psychological, and emotional trauma, impact foster youth’s sense of belonging (Storey, 2023).

School belongingness for foster children Academic challenges are compounded when students lack a sense of belonging. It is imperative that educators not only be aware of foster youth but also implement proven strategies to support foster youth in their academic processes. Song (2024) found that school belonging is fundamental to well-being, engagement, and motivation. Additional benefits to foster youth developing a sense of belonging are their boosted self-esteem, self-identity development, adjustment, psychological functioning, happiness, and transition into adulthood.

Kothari (2021) found that school settings can counter foster youth’s home-related risks, and a positive educational experience can mitigate the effects of adversity for youth in foster care. Research has continuously shown that the student-teacher relationship is the most influential variable in students’ sense of belonging to their school (Allen et al., 2018, 2023; Uslu & Gizir, 2017). Teachers may not invest time in foster youth due to high transience rates (Johnson et al., 2020). Also, school personnel may not be willing to invest time in foster youth due to a lack of training in trauma-informed practices (Allen et al., 2018). There are many stigmas associated with foster youth, and there is a need for educators to address any implicit and/or explicit biases they have that may prevent them from meeting the needs of these students.

Equally impactful on the development of a sense of belonging of foster youth are the environments in which they are exposed. Espino et al. (2025) emphasize the importance of campus support programs tailored for youth with foster care backgrounds, as these initiatives play a critical role in fostering a sense of belonging and facilitating successful transitions to college. Researchers wrote, “Moreover, K-12 systems must be better equipped to provide early intervention, guidance, and mentorship in assisting students to acquire college knowledge. Additionally, dedicated adults who provide consistent mentorship and support can have a transformative impact on their educational journeys” (p. 23).

How schools can better support foster children

Relationship-building: Teachers can develop systems to connect with students individually and with their peers by scheduling times during the day to meet one-on-one with students or in small groups, to discuss their interests. This bi-directional convening will help teachers to build lasting relationships with students.

Asset-based practices: Teachers can implement asset-based practices for foster youth by reiterating daily that these students are welcomed, seen, and heard within the classroom. Culturally responsive leadership: Khalifa (2018) argues that, “It is not enough to want equity or to have courageous conversations, school leaders must enact school structures that will promote and embrace unique cultural knowledge that is consistent with the lives of children” (p. 31). Considering this thought, school leadership can support foster youth by examining their school’s current foster youth data and the structures they have in place to support foster youth. By doing so, they can determine where additional assistance is needed. Also, school leaders can engage staff in conversations about strategies to build supportive relationships with foster youth that help them build a sense of belonging.

Culturally-responsive teaching: Gray et al. (2020) underscore the importance of creating lessons that allow for students to connect with the content based on their culture. When planning lessons, teachers can conduct an inventory of their curriculum to determine if there are representations in which foster youth can connect. The implementation of culturally responsive pedagogy will be imperative to support foster youth in developing a sense of belonging.

References

• Allen, K., Kern, M.L., Vella-Brodrick, D. et al. (2018). What schools need to know about fostering school belonging: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-016-9389-8
• Allen, KA., Gallo Cordoba, B., Ryan, T. et al. (2023). Examining predictors of school belonging using a socio-ecological perspective. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32, 2804–2819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02305-1
• Benbenishty, R., Siegel, A., & Astor, R. (2018). School-related experiences of adolescents in foster care: A comparison with their high-school peers. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88(3), 261–268. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000242
• Bengtsson, T. T., Luckow, S. T. (2020). Senses of belonging when living in foster care families: Insights from children’s video diaries, Childhood, 27(1), pp. 106–19.
• Child Welfare Information Gateway. (n.d.). National kinship care month. https://www.childwelfare.gov/find-resources/resource-collections/national-kinship-care-month/
• Espino, M. L., Thompson, D., Whitman, K. L., Howard, T. C., & Bishop, J. P. (2024). Understanding belongingness, support, and perseverance: An exploratory study of the educational experiences of foster youth in California (Report). Center for the Transformation of Schools, School of Education & Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles. https://transformschools.ucla.edu/research/understanding-belongingness-support-and-perseverance-an-exploratory-study-of-the-educational-experiences-of-foster-youth-in-california
• Fylkesnes, M., Larsen, M., Havnen, K., Christiansen, O., & Lehmann, S. (2021). Listening to advice from young people in foster care—from participation to belonging. British Journal of Social Work, 51(6), 1983-2000. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab138
• Gray, D. L., Hope, E. C., & Byrd, C. M. (2020). Why Black adolescents are vulnerable at school and how schools can provide opportunities to belong to fix it. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 7(1), 3-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732219868744
• Johnson, R., Strayhorn, T., Parler, B. (2020). “I just want to be a regular kid:” A qualitative study of belonging among high school youth in foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 111, 104832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104832
• Khalifa, M. (2020). Culturally responsive school leadership. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
• Kothari, B. H., Godlewski, B., Lipscomb, S. T., & Jaramillo, J. (2021). Educational resilience among youth in foster care. Psychology in the Schools, 58(5), 913–934. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22478
• Lamb, B., Lee, K., Espinoza, S., & McMorris, B. (2022). The power of connectedness: Associations between caring non-parental adult relationships, school attendance, and discipline among foster-involved youth. Children and Youth Review, 142, Article106633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106633
• Song, S., Martin, M., & Wang, Z. (2024). School belonging mediates the longitudinal effects of racial/ethnic identity on academic achievement and emotional well-being among Black and Latinx adolescents. Journal of School Psychology, 106(4), Article 101330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2024.101330
• Storey, V. A., & Fletcher, R. (2023). A framework for addressing foster care trauma in the public education system: Perceptions and implications. Journal of School Health, 93(7), 621-627. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13281
• United States Department of Education. (2025b). Students in foster care. https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/supporting-students/special-populations/students-foster-care/students-in-foster-care
• U.S Department of Health and Human Services (2022). Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). Children’s Bureau, 30. https://acf.gov/cb/report/afcars-report-30
• Uslu, F., & Gizir, S. (2017). School belonging of adolescents: The role of teacher–student relationships, peer relationships and family involvement. Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri/Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 17(1), 63–82. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-17819-004