Orange counts nearly 9,700 homeless students.

Nearly 9,700 students enrolled in Orange County public schools this past academic year had no permanent address but spent their nights doubled up with relatives or friends or in hotels, shelters and even cars and parks, officials said.

The tally of homeless students increased from the prior school year by about 3,500, said Christina Savino, a senior school administrator, speaking at Tuesday night’s Orange County School Board meeting.

Savino attributed the increase in part to Hurricane Maria, which slammed into Puerto Rico and prompted many to flee the island and move to Central Florida.

School Board member Pam Gould, who requested the report on homeless students, said she expected the number was even larger, with the count less accurate in the district’s high schools because teenagers are reluctant to share details about their difficult home lives.

As the law requires, Savino noted, the district uses some of its federal money to make sure homeless students get bus rides so they can remain in their schools, even as they move around, and to make sure they have access to school-provided breakfast and lunch and to other needed services.

Donations from local businesses help supply homeless children with clothes, school supplies, free restaurant meals and even vouchers to get school pictures at no cost, Savino added.

According to district figures, 7,415 homeless students were sharing housing, 1,852 students were living in hotels, 289 were living in shelters, and 134 were sleeping in cars or parks.