The National School Lunch Program makes it possible for school children in the United States to receive a nutritious lunch every school day. Meals served must meet federal nutrition standards and any public school, nonprofit private school, or residential child care institution can participate in the program and receive federal funds for each meal served.

The program is administered at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and in each state typically through the state department of education or agriculture. To find the agency that administers School Lunch in your state, check USDA’s list of state administering agencies.

Quick Facts:

  • Just over 28 million children participated in the National School Lunch Program on a typical day in the 2022–2023 school year, a decrease of nearly 1.8 million children compared to the 2021–2022 school year. 
  • Nearly 94,000 schools, the vast majority, participate in the National School Lunch Program.   
  • 42 states and the District of Columbia saw a decrease in school meal participation in the 2022–2023 school year compared to the 2021–2022 school year, following the loss of pandemic-era waivers that allowed schools to serve all students school meals at no charge. 
  • The states that had increases in school meal participation in the 2022-2023 school year had Healthy School Meals for All policies, meaning they continued to offer meals to all students at no charge in all or a significant number of their schools.  
  • The National School Lunch Program is the nation’s second largest food and nutrition assistance program behind SNAP. 

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