Free and reduced lunch applications

Free & Reduced Lunch Information

Children from households that meet Federal guidelines are eligible for free or reduced-price meal services. Complete one application per household for all children that attend the same school district.

Application forms are sent to all homes with a letter to parents or guardians. To apply for free or reduced-price meal services, households must complete the application as soon as possible, sign it, and return it to the school. Additional copies of the application form are available in the principal’s office in each school. Households should answer all applicable questions on the form. An application which does not contain all the required information cannot be processed and approved by the school. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants may be eligible for free/reduced-price meals and are encouraged to complete an application for meal benefits.

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Requirements:

If a household’s income is at or below the level shown on the income scale, children are eligible for either free or reduced-price meal services.Households must provide the following information:
(1) the names of all household members;
(2) the last four digits of the social security number of the adult household member signing the application, or indicate if the adult does not have a social security number;
(3) the amount of income each household member received last month, how frequently it is paid, and where it came from (wages, child support, etc.); and
(4) the signature of an adult household member.

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Requirements for SNAP/TANF Households:

If the school provided you a letter that stated your child(ren) is eligible for free meals via the direct certification process, you do not have to complete a Free and Reduced Lunch Application to receive free meal benefits. Households that currently receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for their child(ren), only have to list the child(ren)’s name and at least one SNAP or TANF case number and sign the application. If at least one SNAP/TANF case number is provided for any household member, then all children listed on the application are categorically eligible for free meals. Applications listing LINK card numbers cannot be used for free or reduced-price meals.

Income Eligibility Guidelines Effective from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025

Free Meals - 130% Federal Poverty Guidelines

Household Size

Annual

Monthly

Twice Per month

Every Two Weeks

Weekly

1

19,578

1,632

816

753

377

2

26,572

2,215

1,108

1,022

511

3

33,566

2,798

1,399

1,291

646

4

40,560

3,380

1,690

1,560

780

5

47,554

3,963

1,982

1,829

915

6

54,548

4,546

2,273

2,098

1,049

7

61,542

5,129

2,565

2,367

1,184

8

68,536

5,712

2,856

2,636

1,318

For each additional family member, add

6,994

583

292

269

135

Reduced-Price Meals - 185% Federal Poverty Guidelines

Household Size

Annual

Monthly

Twice Per month

Every Two Weeks

Weekly

1

27,861

2,322

1,161

1,072

536

2

37,814

3,152

1,576

1,455

728

3

47,767

3,981

1,991

1,838

919

4

57,720

4,810

2,405

2,220

1,110

5

67,673

5,640

2,820

2,603

1,302

6

77,626

6,469

3,235

2,986

1,493

7

87,579

7,299

3,650

3,369

1,685

8

97,532

8,128

4,064

3,752

1,876

For each additional family member, add

9,953

830

415

383

192

The following is the definition of income:

Income is defined as any monies earned before any deductions such as income taxes, social security taxes, insurance premiums, charitable contributions, and bonds. It includes the following: (1) monetary compensation for services including wages, salary, commissions, or fees; (2) net income from non-farm self-employment; (3) net income from farm self-employment; (4) social security; (5) dividends or interest on savings or bonds or income from estates or trusts; (6) net rental income; (7) public assistance or welfare payments; (8) unemployment compensation; (9) government civilian employee or military retirement or pensions or veteran payments; (10) private pensions or annuities; (11) alimony or child support payments; (12) regular contributions from persons not living in the household; (13) net royalties; and (14) other cash income. Other cash income would include cash amounts received or withdrawn from any source including savings, investments, trust accounts, and other resources which would be available to pay the price of a child’s meal.

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Frequently Asked Questions