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Since 1946, the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) has provided nutritional lunches to children in participating schools. In 2006, over 95,000 schools (grades K-12) participated in the NSLP, serving more than 30 million children daily. Any student in a participating school can get an NSLP lunch regardless of the student's household income.
Eligible students can receive free or reduced-price lunches:
- Free lunches are available to children in households with incomes at or below 130 percent of poverty
- Reduced-price lunches are available to children in households with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of poverty.
In 2006, cafeterias served more than 5 billion lunches, more than half of them free or at a reduced price. The NSLP also provided more than 1 million afterschool snacks. The cost to USDA of providing lunches and snacks was $8.2 billion.
 USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the NSLP and reimburses participating schools' foodservice departments for the meals served to students. To receive reimbursement, schools must serve lunches that meet minimum nutritional guidelines of one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. No more than 30 percent of the meal’s calories can come from fat, and no more than 10 percent can come from saturated fat.
ERS researchers studied characteristics of NSLP participants and found that children ages 8-13 were more likely to participate, as were children in low-income households.
Schools process applications from households who wish to have their children receive free or reduced-price meals. Recently, concerns arose that some students may receive free meals in error—that is, without meeting household income eligibility guidelines. ERS found that incomes of low-income households tend to fluctuate more from month-to-month than those of higher income households. This income volatility helps explain why many school lunch participants were found to be ineligible during verification in past years. In 2004, Congress passed legislation changing the eligibility period for free and reduced-price lunches under the NSLP from 1 month to the full school year.
Another concern is that not all eligible children may receive free or reduced-price meals. An ERS-sponsored study found that directly certifying school children for free meals based on their households' recent participation in the Food Stamp Program or other public assistance program raises participation in the NSLP, increases the number of children certified for free meals, and lowers the number deemed ineligible for benefits. The 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act now requires that, by the 2008-09 school year, all school districts participating in the NSLP will directly certify students in food stamp households for free school meals.
Recommended readings—Publications related to National School Lunch Program topics.
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