The School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program provide nutritious meals for free or at a reduced price to school-aged children when they are in school.
Breakfast and lunch are served for free or at a reduced-price to eligible families at participating schools.
Free breakfast and lunch are served at no cost to families.
Reduced-price breakfasts are provided to families for 30 cents or less, and reduced-priced lunch is provided to families for 40 cents or less.
Reduced Price Meals
For reduced price meals, household income must be under 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Gross income includes all income from your job or self-employment, and other income like social security, disability, child support, worker’s comp, unemployment, and pension income.
Free Meals
For free meals, household income must be under 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Gross income includes all income from your job or self-employment, and other income like social security, disability, child support, worker’s comp, unemployment, and pension income.
Children enrolled in participating PreK-12 public and nonprofit private schools.
No citizenship requirement.
There are three ways that eligible families can get connected to free or reduced-price school meals.
To apply for free or reduced price school breakfast or lunch, contact your child’s school. Applications are typically done annually during school registration, but you can submit or update your application at any time.
Some children qualify for free or reduced-price meals because they are enrolled in another qualifying program, such as:
Some children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals based on their status as a homeless, migrant, or runaway youth.
Contact your child’s school for details.
Some schools are Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools, meaning that meals are provided free to all students, regardless of income. Contact your child’s school to find out if their school is a CEP school.
There are several programs that support families with children, from pregnancy through high school. Learn more about nutrition programs for families with children.