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Schools That Can Adopt Community Eligibility for SY 2016 – 2017
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2016 — The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a powerful federal option that enables high-poverty schools to offer breakfast and lunch to students at no charge. Any district, group of schools in a district, or school with 40 percent or more “identified students” – children eligible for free school meals who already are identified by other means than an individual household application – can choose to participate. Identified students include children directly certified through data-matching because their households receive SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR, and in some states and areas, Medicaid benefits, as well as children who are certified for free meals without an application because they are homeless, migrant, enrolled in Head Start, or in foster care. For more information about this provision, how it works, and its benefits, please see our Community Eligibility page.
States must publish a list of eligible (40 percent or greater identified students), near eligible (equal to 30 percent but less than 40 percent identified students) and currently participating schools and school districts. School districts have until August 31, 2016, to opt in for the 2016–2017 school year.
On the map below, click a state to be directed to the state agency’s website where you can download a copy of that state’s list of eligible, near-eligible, and participating schools and school districts.
Alabama – Alaska – Arizona – Arkansas – California – Colorado – Connecticut – Delaware – District of Columbia – Florida – Georgia – Guam – Hawaii – Idaho – Illinois – Indiana – Iowa – Kansas – Kentucky– Louisiana – Maine – Maryland – Massachusetts – Michigan – Minnesota – Mississippi – Missouri – Montana – North Carolina – North Dakota – Nebraska – New Hampshire – New Jersey – New Mexico – New York – Nevada – Ohio – Oklahoma – Oregon – Pennsylvania – Rhode Island – South Carolina – South Dakota – Tennessee – Texas – Utah – Vermont – Virginia – Washington – West Virginia – Wisconsin – Wyoming
