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Do my Kids Qualify for Reduced Price or Free Lunch?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Free lunch and reduced price lunches are available in many schools and in many countries. Some countries offer free lunch with no qualification. These include countries like Finland, Sweden and India. India has one of the oldest free lunch programs, and dates back to offering students lunches for free to the 1920s.

In other countries, free lunch is determined by income, and this is where the question comes in, as to whether a child is eligible for free or reduced priced lunches. In the US for instance, eligibility is based on income as determined on a national level, and all public schools must offer free or reduced price lunches to qualifying children. Note that rates are adjusted yearly, so if your child is not eligible one year and your income doesn’t change, he or she might be eligible the next year, or if you have another child, it can change your eligibility. There is some dispute about whether income levels are rated high enough, especially in areas where cost of living is very high.

Reduced and free lunches ensure that all students have the opportunity to get a healthy meal.
Reduced and free lunches ensure that all students have the opportunity to get a healthy meal.

For the school year 2008-2009, the national free lunch program determined that a family of four (two adults, two kids) could make an annual income of no more than $27,560 US Dollars (USD), to qualify for free lunch. Reduced price lunch, usually about less than half a dollar a day, was available in that school year for families making no more than $39,220 USD. These are respectively 130% and 185% of poverty levels. Both Alaska and Hawaii have higher limits. These numbers will fluctuate on a yearly basis, so it’s important to check the guidelines for your state each year.

In the United States, eligible children can apply for the National School Lunch Program.
In the United States, eligible children can apply for the National School Lunch Program.

Certain types of income do not count. If you receive food stamps, or are part of the WIC program, this is not considered income for the purpose of determining free lunch status. Mainly, schools will ask to see proof of current income in the form of paycheck stubs. As mentioned, some believe these income levels are too low.

A child living in a major city in New York or California may have parents paying exceptionally high rents in ratio to their income. While the qualifying amounts may be considered fair in other less expensive areas, income limitations in expensive areas do tend to raise the question as to whether determination for lunch ought to be based on a city-by-city or state-by-state basis. It’s certainly true that a family of four living in San Francisco, might find even $50,000 USD per year extremely inadequate to meet their expense needs, and yet their children would not qualify for free or reduced price lunch under national program guidelines.

In the United States, family income determines whether a child is eligible for free or reduced price lunches.
In the United States, family income determines whether a child is eligible for free or reduced price lunches.

There are some programs that are not federally funded that aim to provide lunch, and even sometimes breakfast to any children who need it during the summer months. There may be no qualification requirements for these children except to get them to the location where food is being served. Many public schools have also started serving breakfast to kids, since some children may not be able to count on breakfast at home. Qualifications in the US for breakfast programs usually match those for lunch programs.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent HistoricalIndex contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

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Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent HistoricalIndex contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

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Discussion Comments

anon926224

Our school does not provide free lunches, or breakfast, either. I want it to happen. Well, we have free lunches, but not breakfast.

Kamchatka

@doppler - There is no free lunch program where I come from either, but we also make too much to be on it or on food stamps. Some people look down their noses at others with government assistance, but I know that there are people out there doing the right thing with their benefits and finding ways to cut their budgets and make their money last. I think each experience is a learning experience and you just have to learn how to adapt.

BelugaWhale

@doppler - Usually if you or your child qualifies for Medicaid or Food Stamps, then they will most likely also qualify for the free or reduced lunch program. I know what you mean, though, about healthier lunches. Really, if you think about it, there's no such thing as a free lunch because one way or another the school is reimbursed for it... which I think is great. Some schools have a hard enough time gathering support already.

doppler

@oasis11 - Thanks for all the great information aside from what this article offered. My little girl starts school this year (Pre-K) and her school doesn't offer this program. It really is kind of crummy, but I'm not complaining because we have food stamps that we can use to pay for her lunch snacks and stuff. I really don't like school lunches because I feel I can provide my child a healthier lunch sometimes.

oasis11

There is a national free school lunch program in which about 100,000 schools participate. The schools receive reimbursement per lunch served.

If a child received free lunch, then the school would reimbursed for $2.70. Free lunch eligibility states that the child’s family income does not exceed $21,500 in order to receive free school lunch.

In order to receive reduced lunch, the child’s family income would have to be lower than $30,500. For reduced lunch, a school is reimbursed for $2.37 per lunch served. Many private schools also participate in the program as well.

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    • Reduced and free lunches ensure that all students have the opportunity to get a healthy meal.
      By: JorgeAlejandro
      Reduced and free lunches ensure that all students have the opportunity to get a healthy meal.
    • In the United States, eligible children can apply for the National School Lunch Program.
      By: Tatyana Gladskih
      In the United States, eligible children can apply for the National School Lunch Program.
    • In the United States, family income determines whether a child is eligible for free or reduced price lunches.
      By: JackF
      In the United States, family income determines whether a child is eligible for free or reduced price lunches.
    • Children living in extreme poverty often qualify for free lunch programs.
      By: Andrea Izzotti
      Children living in extreme poverty often qualify for free lunch programs.
    • Children who don't qualify for reduced lunches may have to bring their own food to school.
      By: Kimberly Reinick
      Children who don't qualify for reduced lunches may have to bring their own food to school.