Education

School Lunch Program at a Glance

March 27, 2002 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
  • More than 27 million children in 97,700 American schools get free or reduced-cost meals each day through the National School Lunch Program.

  • The $5.5 billion program is administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, which provides cash subsidies and donated commodities to schools for each meal they serve.
  • Children from families with incomes below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. For a family of four that means a family income of $22,945. Children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the poverty level, or $32,653 for a family of four, are eligible for reduced-price meals. They can be charged no more than 40 cents a meal.
  • Schools most often receive cash reimbursements for each meal served. This school year, the basic reimbursement rate for a free meal is $2.09, while the rate for a reduced-price meal is $1.69.
  • Parents sign up for the program; most are not required to provide proof of their income levels.
  • The program was enacted in 1946 and has served more than 180 billion lunches since then.

SOURCE: Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Web site

A version of this article appeared in the March 27, 2002 edition of Education Week as School Lunch Program at a Glance

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
How to Leverage Virtual Learning: Preparing Students for the Future
Hear from an expert panel how best to leverage virtual learning in your district to achieve your goals.
Content provided by Class
English-Language Learners Webinar AI and English Learners: What Teachers Need to Know
Explore the role of AI in multilingual education and its potential limitations.
Education Webinar The K-12 Leader: Data and Insights Every Marketer Needs to Know
Which topics are capturing the attention of district and school leaders? Discover how to align your content with the topics your target audience cares about most. 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education From Our Research Center What's on the Minds of Educators, in Charts
Politics, gender equity, and technology—how teachers and administrators say these issues are affecting the field.
1 min read
Stylized illustration of a pie chart
Traci Daberko for Education Week
Education Briefly Stated: August 30, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: August 23, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: August 16, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read