
All public and non-profit private schools (regardless of tuition) and all Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs) can participate in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. School boards must apply to their state child nutrition agency in order to institute a program. All students in these schools may participate in the programs. However, household income determines whether they receive free meals, reduced price meals (the maximum price to the student’s family is 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch), or “paid” meals, for which students pay most of the cost (the federal government pays a modest amount for administrative costs).
All school districts nationwide are required to directly certify children living in households that receive SNAP/Food Stamp benefits for free school meals. In some communities the State Department of Education or School Food Authority also works with the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) office to directly certify children for free meals. Only children living in households receiving SNAP/Food Stamp, FDPIR or TANF benefits may be directly certified.
When a child’s household is receiving Food Stamp, FDPIR and/or TANF benefits, the child is categorically eligible for free school meals. “Categorical eligibility” means that all children who fall in that category may receive free school meals.
In the absence of direct certification, the household must submit a School Meals application, but the household need only complete a small portion the following parts of the application:
Requests on the application for ANY other information are strictly optional.
Families receiving Food Stamps, FDPIR or TANF benefits also may obtain free school meals without filling out a school meals application if the household receives a letter from the Food Stamps, FDPIR or TANF agency, which includes the following information:
Homeless, runaway and migrant children are also automatically eligible for free school meals.
When a child’s family is not receiving Food Stamp, TANF, or FDPIR benefits, the child may still qualify for free or reduced price meals based on the household income. These households must fill out more spaces on the school meals form:
Requests on the application for ANY other information are strictly optional.
The child’s school then compares the household size and total income to the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines, which determine who is eligible for free and reduced price school meals. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Those with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals.