School Meal Eligibility

Eligibility Resources

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 School 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, but must meet certain criteria to qualify for 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).  The basis for eligibility for free and reduced-price meals are categorical eligibility or income-based eligibility.

Categorical Eligibility

“Categorical eligibility” means that all children who fall in that category may receive free school meals. A child is categorically eligible for free school meals who is in foster care, Head Start, homeless, migrant or living in a household receiving SNAP/Food Stamps, FDPIR and/or TANF benefits.  These children can all be certified for free meals without a paper application through a data exchange between the corresponding authority and the school district, known as direct certification.

If direct certification does not occur, the household must submit a School Meals application.  For children receiving SNAP, TANF or FDPIR, the household need only complete the following parts of the application:

  • the child’s name,
  • a SNAP, FDPIR and/or TANF case number for the child,
  • the signature of an adult household member – the adult’s Social Security number is NOT required.

Requests on the application for ANY other information are strictly optional.

Direct Certification

All school districts nationwide are required to directly certify children living in households that receive SNAP/Food Stamp benefits for free school meals. States and school districts should also work with other agencies, such as the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) office to certify without paper application other categorically eligible children. Children who are categorically eligible and may be directly certified include children in foster care, Head Start, homeless, migrant or living in households receiving SNAP/Food Stamp, FDPIR or TANF benefits may be directly certified.

Community Eligibility

Community Eligibility is the newest option for providing all meals at no charge to students in schools with high percentages of low-income students. A formula based on direct certification data is the basis for reimbursements instead of paper applications. Any school can use this option that has 40 percent or more students directly certified for free meals (i.e. children who are  certified without a paper application based on their status as in foster care, Head Start, homeless, migrant, or living in households that receive SNAP/Food Stamps, TANF cash assistance or FDPIR benefits). All students in participating schools automatically receive free meals without completing applications. The option is available in Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan beginning in the school year 2011-2012. Four additional states will be added in each of the subsequent two years. Beginning in the 2014 – 2015 school year, schools in any state will be able to participate in this option.

Income-Based Eligibility

When a child is not categorically eligible, the child may qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on household income. These households must fill out the complete school meal application:

  • The names of all household members
  • The amount and source of income each member received in the previous month
  • The signature of an adult household member
  • The last 4 digits of the social security number of the adult household member who signs the application, OR, if the adult does not have a social security number, s/he must write “NONE” in that space or check the box reading “I do not have a social security number” if provided.  It cannot be left blank.

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 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.