The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally funded meal program that provides free or low-cost lunches to children in public schools, nonprofit private schools, and residential child care institutions across the United States. Nearly 30 million children eat a school lunch through the program on any given school day. Signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1946 under the National School Lunch Act, it remains one of the largest food assistance programs in the country.
How the Program Works
The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service runs the NSLP at the federal level, but the day-to-day operation happens locally. Schools and school districts prepare and serve meals that meet federal nutrition standards, then get reimbursed by the government for each meal served. The reimbursement amount depends on whether a student qualifies for a free meal, a reduced-price meal, or a full-price (paid) meal.
For the 2025-2026 school year, schools in the contiguous United States receive $4.60 per free lunch, $4.20 per reduced-price lunch, and $0.44 per paid lunch. Schools that meet additional performance-based nutrition benchmarks get an extra 9 cents per meal. Rates are higher in Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories to account for elevated food costs.
Beyond cash reimbursements, schools also receive physical food. Through the USDA’s “Foods in Schools” program, school food authorities choose from over 200 products that the USDA purchases on their behalf, worth roughly $1.6 billion annually. These commodity foods make up about 15 to 20 percent of what ends up on school lunch trays.
Who Qualifies for Free or Reduced-Price Meals
Eligibility is based on household income relative to the federal poverty guidelines. Children in families earning at or below 130 percent of the poverty line qualify for free meals. Those in families earning between 130 and 185 percent qualify for reduced-price meals, which are capped at 40 cents for lunch. Families above 185 percent pay full price, though that price is still subsidized through the federal reimbursement schools receive.
Children who participate in other assistance programs like SNAP (food stamps) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families are automatically eligible for free meals without a separate application. Foster children and children experiencing homelessness also qualify automatically.
Community Eligibility Provision
Some schools skip the application process entirely. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows the highest-poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to every enrolled student. Instead of collecting income forms from individual families, these schools are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students already enrolled in programs like SNAP and TANF. This approach reduces paperwork, eliminates the stigma some students feel about receiving free meals, and ensures no eligible child falls through the cracks simply because a parent didn’t submit a form.
States Offering Universal Free Meals
A growing number of states have gone further than federal requirements by guaranteeing free meals to all students regardless of income. California, for example, began requiring all schools to provide one free breakfast and one free lunch per school day to any student who requests one starting in the 2022-2023 school year. Several other states, including Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Vermont, have adopted similar universal free meal policies. These programs are funded through a combination of federal reimbursements and state dollars that cover the gap for students who wouldn’t otherwise qualify.
What Schools Are Required to Serve
School lunches must meet specific federal nutrition standards covering fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and milk. At least 80 percent of the grains offered each week must be whole grain-rich, meaning they contain at least 50 percent whole grains. Schools can occasionally offer enriched, non-whole grain items to match student preferences.
Sodium limits have been a point of ongoing adjustment. Schools may maintain their current sodium levels through the 2026-2027 school year. Starting in 2027-2028, lunch sodium must drop by 15 percent and breakfast sodium by 10 percent, bringing levels in line with targets originally set back in 2012.
Milk rules allow both plain and flavored options in fat-free and low-fat varieties for all grade levels. Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, flavored milk must meet new added sugar limits. Companies representing more than 90 percent of the school milk market have committed to capping added sugars at 10 grams per 8-ounce serving, which matches the new federal requirement.
Effects on Students
Research consistently links access to school meals with lower rates of food insecurity and improved academic performance. Studies on universal free meal programs, particularly those using the Community Eligibility Provision, have found associations with better student well-being and higher academic achievement. Researchers at the University of Washington found that universal free meals through CEP were connected to improvements in both health outcomes and school performance, with ongoing work examining how reduced family stress and food insecurity may explain those gains.
The practical effects extend beyond nutrition. When all students eat the same meal at no charge, participation rates tend to rise, cafeteria lunch lines move faster, and schools spend less time and money processing eligibility paperwork. For families, even a reduced-price meal of 40 cents per day adds up to roughly $72 over a school year per child, a meaningful amount for households already stretching tight budgets.