With the start of school comes the need to set a budget to ensure a child has everything they need to thrive, and some families may want to know if free or reduced-price meals are an option.
Between 2020 and 2022, school meals were free for all students thanks to federal pandemic aid. But most schools are now charging for breakfast and lunch again. Students who don’t pay can get into debt.
To receive free or reduced-price meals in Alabama, families must follow a few simple steps.
How to apply for free and reduced-price meals:
- Search your school district to see if they already offer free meals to all students. Community entitlement determination program. Alabama school districts that offer free meals for all are listed Here.
- If your district doesn’t offer free meals for all, you may still be eligible for assistance, depending on your income. Find out if your child qualifies for free meals by reading the income eligibility guidelines sheet. Here.
- Go to your district’s website and fill out the Free and discounted meal application formThe form is usually found in the Child Nutrition section of the district website.
- The form requires the following information::
- Step 1: List the names of all students in the household up to and including twelfth grade
- Step 2: If household members are currently participating in SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR, provide their case number.
- Step 3: List all household members and each member’s income, including earned income, welfare, child support, alimony, pension or retirement.
- Step 4: Enter your contact details and signature
- Print out the application and submit it directly to your child’s school.
Who is entitled to free school meals?
All children in households receiving Alabama SNAP, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Alabama TANF, or Alabama Medicaid Free are eligible for free meals.
Foster children who are under the legal responsibility of a foster agency or court are entitled to free meals.
Children who participate in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals.
Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway or migrant are entitled to free meals.
Please also visit the Alabama State Department of Education Alabama Achieves website to learn more about school nutrition programs.
Further information on the application process for school meals
Families who do not have access to a computer or printer can also submit the application to school principals and counselors.
You only need to submit one application per household, even if your children attend several schools in your district.
Families can apply for free or reduced-price meals throughout the school year by submitting an application directly to their school.
Although meals are discounted or free, the quality and quantity of food is the same for all children.
“In today’s economic climate, any support our families and children can get is beneficial to them… We know that everyone needs help, regardless of their demographic or financial situation. Sometimes help is needed,” said Sonja Anthony, executive director of the Alabama School Nutrition Association.
Universal food programs
Experts say universal meal programs lead to better attendance rates, better test scores and better health among marginalized student groups.
The federal Community Eligibility Provision Program allows any student in a school or school district to receive free school meals as long as a certain percentage of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals or are enrolled in SNAP or Medicaid.
In 2023, the USDA lowered the requirements for districts to offer the program from 40% of students in the district having to qualify for free or reduced-price meals to 25%.
Last school year, 118 of Alabama’s 150 school districts and charter schools participated in the district-wide program, while only 51 districts did so in 2022-23, according to recent state data. Nearly 480,000 children had access to free meals through their schools.
