School Lunch Debt Statistics

Report Highlights. The national public school meal debt is $176 million a year.

• 20.1 million students receive a free or reduced-price lunch.
• The average lunch cost per child is $537 annually.
• 68.8% of surveyed schools had unpaid student meal debt.
• 87% of surveyed school districts reported an annual increase in the number of students who couldn’t afford meals.

Children in Debt

Children unable to afford a proper meal are defined as being food-insecure; they lack reliable access to food. Many of those children who owe school meal debt are part of families who earn too much to be considered for free or reduced lunch, but also earn too little to afford regular school meals.

• 19.0 million students receive free school breakfast, compared to 1.1 million who pay a reduced price and 8.5 million who pay the full price.
• Based on the national total, the average meal debt per child is $537 annually.
• The US Department of Agriculture found that 17.3% of households with children are food insecure.
• Texas had the most food-insecure children at 1,697,870.
• Vermont had the least number of food-insecure children at 16,670.
• Massachusetts had the smallest percentage of food-insecure children at 12.7%.
• Louisiana had the largest percentage of children who are food insecure at 25.3%.

Money Lost to Unpaid Meal Debt

Schools cannot pay off meal debts using federal child nutrition funds, they must be written off as an operating loss. Schools may look to state, local, or charitable sources to try to offset the meal debt. The following information was obtained from the School Nutrition Association’s 2024 Trends Report and Survey.

• $17.7 million was the average total meal debt from surveyed districts.
• 59% of schools are offering free breakfast to all students, and only 49% are offering free lunch.  
• Debt per district varies between $10 to $1 million.
• 71.7% of nutrition programs in the Midwest, and 75.5% of programs in the Mountain Plains  reported the highest levels of unpaid student meal debt.
• In 2024, 87.4% of programs that offer free breakfast and lunch saw an increase in average daily participation. 

Federal Meal Reimbursement by State

The meal debt per state was estimated by taking the average cost of breakfast and lunch reimbursed by the federal government for each state and multiplying that with the number of food-insecure children on reduced-price or free lunches. Debt varies wildly between states due to population size.   

• Texas has the largest amount reimbursed at $5.1 million per day. 
• Vermont has the least amount of meal reimbursement at $49,732 per day.
• Washington D.C., though not a state itself, has a federal reimbursement of $53,3421.

National School Lunch Program

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves children lunches from pre-k all the way to grade 12. They have the option to provide after-school and summer meals as well.

• The NSLP serves meals to 20.1 million children daily.
• The NSLP provides 19.0 million free lunches daily.
• The NSLP provides 1.1 million reduced-price lunches daily ($0.40 each).
• The NSLP provides 8.5 million full-price lunches daily.
• The NSLP serves 4.7 billion lunches per calendar school year.
• Congress spends $15.8 billion annually on the NSLP program.
• To be eligible for reduced-price lunch, a family of 4 must make less than $57,720 per year. 
• A family of 4 must make less than $40,560 per year to receive eligibility for free lunches. 

School Breakfast Program

The School Breakfast Program (SBP) serves children breakfast from pre-k all the way to grade 12. They have the option to provide summer meals as well.

• The SBP serves meals to 11.5 million children daily.
• The SBP provides 11.0 million free breakfasts daily.
• The SBP provides 500,000 reduced-price breakfasts daily.
• The SBP provides 3.0 million full-price breakfasts daily.
• The SBP serves 2.4 billion breakfasts annually.
• Congress spends $5.3 billion annually on the SBP program.

Special Nutrition Program Operations Study

Following implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, a federal study was, known as the Special Nutrition Program Operations Study (SNOPS) was a multiyear study designed to provide information on impact of State and school food authority policies and practices.

• The new breakfast and nutritional requirements increased the challenge of sourcing meal ingredients by the SFA (State and School Food Authority). 
• The SFA changed and increased their use of fruits, vegetables, and grains, to meet the new standards. 
• Due to the new regulations, 60% of fruits and vegetables were wasted by students. 

Cost of School Meals

School breakfast is significantly cheaper than school lunch, but serves fewer children overall. Federal regulations set the minimum nutrition standards that go into a school meal. General nutrition standards require more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and less sugar, fat, and sodium.

• The average cost of school lunch is $2.99.
• School breakfast is $1.77.
• In a 31-day month, school lunch costs $93 on average.
• School breakfast for 31 days would cost $55 on average.
• A full school year of school lunch costs between $495 and $631.
• A year of school breakfast costs anywhere between $238 and $329.

Cost to Make a School Meal (2014)

The cost to make a school is broken down primarily between food costs and labor costs. Food service directors must balance the budget while meeting federal standards; arranging the meal plans, contracting the food supplier, scheduling meal periods, etc.

• Food accounts for 44.7% of the cost of a school meal. 
• Labor accounts for 44.5% of the cost of a school meal.
• The average cost to produce a school lunch was $3.81.
• The federal free lunch subsidy was $3.32.
• The average cost to produce a school breakfast was $2.72.
• The federal free breakfast subsidy was $1.88.

School Breakfast Differences

The school breakfast program does not sell as many meals as the school lunch program. The required nutrition values in a school breakfast are also different from a school lunch. Participation in school breakfast was found to lower the risk of childhood obesity.

District Cost Statistics

• 43.5% of districts with a student population of fewer than 1,000 students are seriously concerned about the financial sustainability of their school nutrition program.
• 41.7% of the districts with a student population between 1,000 and 2,499 students are seriously concerned about the financial sustainability of their school nutrition program.
• 44.8% of districts with a student population between 2,500 and 4,999 students are seriously concerned about the financial sustainability of their school nutrition program.
• 46.1% of the districts with a student population between 5,000 and 9,999 students seriously are concerned about the financial sustainability of their school nutrition program.
• 48.8% of districts with a student population between 10,000 and 24,999 students are seriously concerned about the financial sustainability of their school nutrition program.
• 44.2% of the districts with a student population between 25,000 or more students are seriously concerned about the financial sustainability of their school nutrition program.
• The total overall school meal program debt across districts was $17.7 million. 
• The average debt per district was $21,940.
• Amongst the largest school districts with more than 25,000 students enrolled, the median unpaid meal debt was $39,500. 

Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022

The purpose of this act passed by Congress in 2022 was to support nationwide public schools to reduce the cost of meals for students. While the act temporarily increased reimbursement rates for school breakfasts and lunches, these rates expired on June 30, 2023.

Key points

• This bill increases the school reimbursement rate for breakfast by an additional 15 cents per student. 
• This bill allows schools to receive an additional 40 cents to reimburse school lunches.
• In this bill, schools that cannot obtain healthy food due to disruptions in food supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic were reimbursed as well. 
• The Keep Kids Fed Act also grants waivers to summer school programs.
• This bill also states that technical assistance will be provided to schools and food programs that do not currently provide meal reimbursement waivers but wish to integrate these into their system.

Keep Kids Fed District Statistics

• 56.7%  of the district with a student population of fewer than 1,000 students stated  current reimbursement rates are insufficient to cover the cost of producing a lunch.
• 60.1% of districts with a student population between 1,000 and 2,499 students stated  current reimbursement rates are insufficient to cover the cost of producing a lunch.
• 68.9% of the district with a student population between 2,500 and 4,999 students stated  current reimbursement rates are insufficient to cover the cost of producing a lunch.
• 67.9% of districts with a student population between 5,000 and 9,999 students stated  current reimbursement rates are insufficient to cover the cost of producing a lunch.
• 69.2% of the district with a student population between 10,000 and 24,999 students stated  current reimbursement rates are insufficient to cover the cost of producing a lunch.
• 64.8% of districts with a student population of 25,000 or more students stated  current reimbursement rates are insufficient to cover the cost of producing a lunch.

Preventing Lunch Shaming

Lunch Shaming is the practice of embarrassing or singling out a child who cannot afford their school lunch, which can include requiring them to clean the cafeteria, wear a bracelet, or separating them from their peers. The USDA recommends that schools focus on ways to fund school lunches, rather than concentrating on debt collection from the students, and many districts have adopted various anti-lunch shaming policies, such as:

• Written reminders are sent to the parent/guardian’s email or home address. 
• Digital reminders are sent to the child’s home through robo-calling
• Automated reminders signaled to the parent/guardian through an online payment system. 
• Unmarked envelopes are sent home with the students to give to their parents or guardians.
• Not marking the children with a hand stamp or tag, signifying school lunch debt. 
• Utilizing payments that can be taken care of outside of the student-lunch worker’s interaction, facilitated through parent/guardians.

Meal Debt Policy by State

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has largely left decision-making on meal debt policy in the hands of state and local school authorities. Some states continue the trend and delegate their authority, as well as leaving policy decisions solely in the hands of local school districts. 

Alabama 

• Alabama has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made at the district level.

Alaska 

• Alaska has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made at the district level.

Arizona 

• Although in Arizona all K–8 schools are required to participate in the National School Lunch Program, the state has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made for debt at the district level.

Arkansas 

• Arkansas prohibits conduct by schools when a student owes money for or cannot pay for school meals. Schools are prohibited from providing an alternate meal or taking actions that would stigmatize the student.
• The Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Unit is also required to implement a system for reviewing local unpaid meal practices and provide model policies that local districts can adopt. 
• School districts may use state education funding to the extent necessary to provide school meals without charge to certain schools and to provide school meals without charge to students otherwise eligible for reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. 

California 

• In California, all public school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools serving students in grades K-12 must provide breakfast and lunch to all students free of charge, regardless of eligibility. 
• California requires a local educational agency to notify a parent or guardian of the negative balance of a school meal account no later than 10 days after the account has reached a negative balance. 
• The state provides an additional $0.9790 per free and reduced-price meal. 
• All public schools are required to provide at least one meal (breakfast or lunch) to all free and reduced-price certified students.
• There are no circumstances in which a meal can be denied to a student as a form of punishment. 

Colorado 

• All schools with 70% or more free and reduced-price certified students must offer breakfast to all free certified students. 
• Colorado eliminates the $0.30 fee for breakfast and $0.40 fee for lunch in all schools. 

Connecticut 

• All schools whose student population is up to 80% reliant on free or reduced-price lunches must participate in the School Breakfast Program. 
• All schools with over 20% of students on free or reduced-price lunch receive an extra $0.10 per breakfast and lunch served to eligible students. 

Delaware 

• Delaware provides up to 70% of the salaries of food service staff using funds not derived from local school cafeteria operations. 
• If a child cannot attend a charter school due to a lack of opportunity to provide free or reduced-price lunch, the charter school must provide it to them. 

Florida 

• All public elementary schools are required to adhere to the School Breakfast Program. 
• All schools that have student populations where over 80% qualify for free or reduced-price meals are required to offer free breakfast to all students. 

Georgia 

• Georgia provides monetary support to offset labor costs based on the number of full-time nutritional support staff. 
• All public schools whose student population is up to 25% reliant on free or reduced-price meals must participate in the National School Lunch Program. 

Hawaii 

• School districts in Hawaii cannot deny meals to students with insufficient funds during the first 21 days of school. 
• State funds are allocated to help with the cost of schools for breakfast and lunch. 
• Schools must provide breakfast and lunch where students are required to eat lunch at school. 

Idaho 

• Idaho has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made for debt at the district level.

Illinois 

• All public schools are required to operate a lunch program that provides free lunches to students certified for free meals. 
•   A school may not publicly identify or stigmatize a student who cannot pay for a meal or snack or who owes money for a meal or snack. 
• The state reimburses an additional $0.15 per breakfast and lunch meal served.

Indiana 

• All public schools with 15% or more qualified free or reduced-price certified students must participate in the School Breakfast Program. 

Iowa 

• All public schools in Iowa are required to provide lunch for public school students attending for 4 or more hours each school day and wish to participate. 
• Schools are not allowed to identify or stigmatize students who cannot pay for their breakfast or lunch. 

Kansas 

• All public schools must participate in the School Breakfast Program. 
• The state provides an additional $0.04 per lunch using out-of-state revenue-matched funds. 

Kentucky 

• Kentucky schools must arrange their bus schedules so that students can arrive sufficiently early to be served breakfast before starting class. 
• Schools cannot discriminate against any child because of inability to pay the full cost of a meal.

Louisiana 

• All schools must provide a lunch program. 
• Before denying a meal from a student, the parents or legal guardians of the student must be notified. 

Maine 

• All K-8 public schools are required to participate in the National School Lunch Program. 
• Main provides an additional $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch in public schools. 
• Schools must provide a reimbursable meal to any student who asks for one. 

Maryland 

• All public elementary schools must provide free and reduced-price breakfast programs. 
• All public schools are required to operate a free and reduced-price lunch program.

Massachusetts 

• All public schools must provide lunches to their students. 
• If a school has more than 50% of its population eligible for free and reduced-price meals, that school must participate in the School Breakfast Program. 
• All high-poverty K-12 schools must offer breakfast to students after classes begin in the morning. 
• Schools must inform families of students who accrue meal debt and not shame or punish these students in any way. 

Michigan 

• All public schools must participate in the National School Lunch Program. 
• The state provides each district with up to 6% of necessary operating costs for operating under the National School Lunch Program. 
• Based on the Child Nutrition Program, schools that serve Michigan-grown fruit, vegetables, or legumes, receive state-matched $0.10 per meal per student. 

Minnesota 

• All schools that have 33% of students participating in free or reduced-price meals must participate in the School Breakfast Program. 
• Minnesota eliminated the reduced-price fee of $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch. 
• Lunch shaming practices are prohibited and meals cannot be taken away from students regardless of their debt. 

Mississippi 

• Mississippi’s has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made at the district level.

Missouri 

• All schools that have 35% of students participating in free or reduced-price meals must participate in the School Breakfast Program. 
• Agencies who are responsible for the food programs are required to work to design and implement outreach programs that are focused on addressing the risk of hunger, and how to apply for them. 

Montana 

• Montana has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made at the district level.

Nebraska 

• Nebraska receives an additional $0.05 per breakfast as a part of participating in the National School Lunch Program. 

Nevada 

• All schools with 70% of students who utilize free and reduced-price lunches are required to offer free breakfast after the start of courses for the day. 
• Nevada allocates $2 million for grants that go to schools that participate in lunch after the bell programs. 

New Hampshire 

• Any students who need it will receive free or reduced-price lunches. 
• The state eliminates the reduced-price $0.30 for breakfast. 
• All schools need to ensure that students have access to healthy school lunches and are not shamed for receiving free or reduced-price lunches. 

New Jersey

• The State Department of Agriculture must provide a list of available resources for students to incorporate after the bell plans for breakfast. 
• Schools with 70% or more of students who require free or reduced-price meals are required to give the students breakfast after the bell. 
• The state provides $0.055 for reduced-price lunches and $0.04 for lunches served in charter schools. 

New Mexico 

• Schools with 85% or more of students who require free or reduced-price meals are required to give the students breakfast after the bell. 
• School districts have to give students a reimbursable meal even if the student cannot pay for it. 

New York 

• Schools with 70% or more of students who require free or reduced-price meals are required to give the students breakfast after the bell.

North Carolina 

• All public schools in North Carolina are required to take part in the National School Lunch Program. 
• The state uses part of the state revenue to cover the cost of the reduced-price breakfast. 

North Dakota 

• North Dakota has eliminated the $0.30 fee for reduced-price breakfast. 

Ohio 

• Schools with 20% or more of students who are enrolled for free or reduced-price meals must participate in the National School Lunch Program.

Oklahoma 

• School districts are not allowed to withhold student records from households with school meal debt. 

Oregon 

• Schools with 70% or more of students who are enrolled for free or reduced-price meals must participate in the School Breakfast Program.
• Oregon has eliminated the reduced-price fees for both breakfast and lunch.

Pennsylvania 

• It is obligatory for schools to provide a meal to students regardless of their means to pay for it or their debt.
• If a student owes money for at least 5 meals, the school must make at least 2 attempts to reach the parents or legal guardian of the student. 

South Carolina 

• All public schools must participate in the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program. 

South Dakota 

• South Dakota has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made at the district level.

Tennessee 

• All schools are required to utilize a school lunch program. 
• K-8 schools in which 25% of students obtain free or reduced-price lunches must participate in the School Breakfast Program. 

Texas 

• Schools must participate in the School Breakfast Program if at least 10% of their students use free or reduced-price meals. 
• All schools with 80% or more of students who participate in free or reduced-price meals must provide free breakfast to all. 

Utah 

• The state liquor tax is used to fund meal reimbursements for public school lunches. 

Vermont 

• All schools must participate in the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program. 
• Vermont has eliminated both the $0.30 breakfast and $0.40 lunch fee for reduced-price meals. 

Virginia 

• Virginia makes it mandatory for schools to be eligible for the federal Community Eligibility Provision. 
• Virginia also provides funding to promote participation in the School Breakfast Program. 
• It is not allowed for schools to discriminate or target students who receive free or reduced-price meals. 

Washington 

• Schools in Washington have more than 70% of students who are certified for free or reduced-price meals but set into place the breakfast after the bell program. 
• The state has provided $1.2 million to help schools implement this program. 

West Virginia 

• At least 10 minutes must be allocated for students to eat their breakfast and at least 20 minutes for lunch. 
• All boards of education across the counties must help and assist schools to participate in the “Shared Table” initiative, to use unused food for redistribution. 

Wisconsin 

• The state will pay an additional $0.15 for breakfast and lunch. 

Wyoming 

• Wyoming has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made at the district level.

Sources

1. California Department of Education, 2024–25 CNP Reimbursement Rates
2. Food Research and Action Center, School Meals Legislation and Funding by State
3. National Center For Education Statistics 
4. Feeding America, Food Insecurity Map 
5. School Nutrition Association, Guide to State Unpaid Meals Legislation and Trends
6. School Nutrition Trends Report 2024 
7. National School Lunch Program 
8. School Breakfast Plan
9. Keep Kids Fed Act 2022
10. Preventing Lunch Shaming 
11. Charity Rx, LIFT School Lunch Debt 
12. Special Nutrition Program Operations Study
13. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Child Nutrition Tables
14. USDA, Household Food Security in the United States in 2022
15. USDA, School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study: Summary and Findings
16. Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, Rep. Leger Fernández Secures USDA Commitment To Work To End Lunch Shaming and Improve Tribal Nutrition Programs