Free School Lunch Eligibility Checker
Find out if your child qualifies for free or reduced-price school meals under the National School Lunch Program. Uses 2025 federal poverty thresholds.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)?
CEP lets schools and districts in high-poverty areas serve free meals to ALL students without collecting individual applications. A school qualifies if at least 25% of students are 'identified students' — kids directly certified through SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, foster, homeless, migrant, or Head Start records. Roughly 19,000 schools nationwide are CEP-enrolled. If your school participates, your child eats free regardless of household income.
Do I need to apply every year?
Yes. Free and reduced-price meal applications are renewed each school year. Eligibility from the prior year carries over for the first 30 operating days of the new year as a grace period, but you must submit a new application during that window. If your child is directly certified (your household receives SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid), the school district approves them automatically and no application is needed.
What documents do I need to apply?
The application asks for household size, gross income from all sources (wages, child support, Social Security, unemployment), and SSN of the adult signing — or a statement that none is available. Districts may verify a sample of applications by requesting pay stubs, tax returns, or benefit letters. Submit as soon as the school year starts to avoid paying out-of-pocket while the application is processed.