Published September 17, 2026

School meal applications and household income forms have long been the method of connecting children to nutrition assistance and identifying the supports school districts need to function. The expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and the growing adoption of Healthy School Meals for All (HSMFA) policies have reduced the need for households to submit applications for free school meals. However, these forms remain an important tool for connecting families to additional nutrition benefits, such as the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (Summer EBT), and for ensuring that schools receive critical education funding and other essential resources that support student success. 

School meal applications and household forms: 

  1. Protect education funding. Returned applications and income forms help states divvy up education funds. Increased accuracy in data leads to a more accurate distribution of school funding and educational resources. 
  2. Help schools receive accurate meal reimbursements. Even in  Healthy School Meals for All states, some schools may still need student eligibility information to claim the correct school meal reimbursements from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  
  3. Connect children to Summer EBT. Applications and household income forms can automatically connect eligible children to Summer EBT without requiring families to complete a separate application. 
  4. Expand access to summer and afterschool meals. Higher application return rates may mean more accurate area eligibility data, which may help more meal sites qualify to operate and serve all children when school is not in session.  
  5. Provide a connection to nutrition assistance as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) access changes. When children lose SNAP benefits due to cuts included in the 2025 budget reconciliation law (H.R. 1), they also lose their automatic eligibility for free school meals. As a result, completing a school meal application becomes critical to ensuring that eligible children continue to receive free or reduced-price school breakfast and lunch.  

Here are some things states and schools can do to increase access to all of the nutrition programs:  

  • Increase SNAP outreach in schools. Schools can help by serving as outreach partners, sharing program information, and connecting households to direct assistance or trusted referrals for applications and recertifications. 
  • Cross-promote the child nutrition programs. Schools and community organizations can distribute applications at summer meal sites, send out information about school meal applications alongside Summer EBT information, or collect applications and talk about other nutrition resources at back-to-school nights.  
  • Rethink household income forms. If CEP schools or HSMFA states use a household income form instead of a school meal application, that form should also be able to qualify households for Summer EBT. These forms should be created by state agencies and approved by USDA for this multipurpose use. 

For more information on why school meal forms matter, see FRAC’s resource Protecting Access: School Meal Applications as a Critical Link to Nutrition and Educational Resources. For more outreach strategies, see FRAC’s toolkit Strategies to Increase Applications for School Meals.