Report Highlights. Nationwide, public school K-12 students* had meal debt totaling an estimated $271.61 million following the academic year (AY) 2024-25.
- Distributed equally among schoolchildren nationwide, meal debt as of the start of AY2025-26 worked out to about $5.68 per child.
- Among school districts that do not provide free meals to all students, 92.2% reported unpaid meal debt.
- Among the 30.0 million schoolchildren who receive a free or reduced-price school lunch, up to 46.7% come from food-insecure households.
*This report is relevant to K-12 students except where otherwise noted.
Schoolchildren’s Meal Debt Statistics
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.
- Unpaid meal debt among reporting districts ranged from $5.00 to $4.00 million in AY 2025-26.
- Divided equally among reporting school districts, the average total student meal debt balance was $39,329 per district in AY2025-26.
- Out of 1,240 unique school districts surveyed, 643 reported student meal debt, representing 51.9% of unique surveyed districts.
- Collective meal debt among 643 districts totaled $25.289 million for the academic year (AY) 2024-25.
- Theoretically, if every school district in America had an equivalent unpaid balance, student meal debt would total $523.784 million.
- Divided among school districts surveyed, the average collective student meal balance is $20,394.
- The average student meal debt balance reported per district increased by $16,674 (equivalent to 73.6% total growth) between AY2022-23 and AY2025-26.
- Median meal debt is $6,000 per reporting school district was for AY2025-26; districtwide meal debt balances in the 90th percentile had a median value of $86,660.
School Meal Debt by Region
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.
- School districts in the Mid-Atlantic states reported the highest median school lunch debt with $19,000 unpaid.
- $144,159 was the average collective meal debt among Mid-Atlantic school districts reporting such debt.
- Northeastern schools report the lowest median debt at $2,230 per district; these districts reported an average $7,963 total meal debt balance.
- Districts in the Mountain Plains states have unpaid student meal debt at the highest rates; 70.5% of reporting districts say students owed meal debt.
| Region | Districts Reporting Meal Debt | Median debt per District (50th percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | 51.9% | $6,000 |
| Mid-Atlantic | 55.7% | $19,000 |
| Midwest | 65.7% | $4,500 |
| Mountain Plains | 70.5% | $6,000 |
| Northeast | 43.7% | $2,230 |
| Southeast | 35.3% | $8,800 |
| Southwest | 59.0% | $10,664 |
| Western | 37.4% | $8,000 |
School Meal Debt Recovery
The USDA recommends that schools do not involve children in any part of lunch debt collection as such efforts may lead to “lunch shaming” (i.e. embarrassing or singling out a child who cannot pay for their meal**). Instead, schools should reach out to parents directly and focus on other ways to fund school meals.
- School food authorities (SFAs) recover roughly half of unpaid meal funds in a typical school year.
- 89% of school districts notify households of unpaid meal debt.
- 62% of SFAs continue to provide school meals to students who have meal debt.
- The smallest SFAs that serve less than 500 students recover the largest share of meal debt with a 69% recovery rate.
- SFAs serving between 500 and 4,999 students are the least likely to recover meal debt (a 27% recovery rate).
**Specific examples of lunch shaming include hand stamps, stickers, or other visual markers to identify children with lunch debt. Notes sent home with the child and withheld meals may also indicate lunch debt to peers. The USDA recommends more discrete reminders, such as phone calls to parents, emails, or letters sent via post.
School Lunch Program Statistics
Programs that must charge for school meals cite “serious concern” about the financial sustainability of their school nutrition programs.
- 99% of school nutrition professionals express need for increased funding while 79% say their school lunch programs are in “extreme need”.
- 35% of SFAs reported operating at a budget deficit in AY 2023-24.
- 98% of school nutrition directors report their programs are under financial strain amidst rising food costs.
| State | Number of Qualifying Children | Qualifying Share of All Children |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 199,181 | 17.6% |
| Alaska | 19,477 | 11.2% |
| Arizona | 193,172 | 12.2% |
| Arkansas | 130,106 | 18.6% |
| California | 1,041,656 | 12.4% |
| Colorado | 113,485 | 9.41% |
| Connecticut | 80,842 | 11.1% |
| Delaware | 24,382 | 11.4% |
| District of Columbia | 20,434 | 15.7% |
| Florida | 581,262 | 13.0% |
| Georgia | 339,779 | 13.5% |
| Hawaii | 29,058 | 24.8% |
| Idaho | 47,460 | 10.1% |
| Illinois | 305,418 | 11.3% |
| Indiana | 209,376 | 13.2% |
| Iowa | 76,311 | 10.5% |
| Kansas | 86,076 | 12.5% |
| Kentucky | 164,960 | 16.2% |
| Louisiana | 191,072 | 18.0% |
| Maine | 28,330 | 11.6% |
| Maryland | 132,967 | 10.0% |
| Massachusetts | 123,331 | 9.13% |
| Michigan | 282,091 | 13.4% |
| Minnesota | 126,776 | 9.8% |
| Mississippi | 128,779 | 19.2% |
| Missouri | 177,118 | 13.0% |
| Montana | 22,707 | 9.88% |
| Nebraska | 58,425 | 12.2% |
| Nevada | 92,287 | 13.4% |
| New Hampshire | 14,219 | 5.7% |
| New Jersey | 194,411 | 9.50% |
| New Mexico | 75,292 | 16.9% |
| New York | 586,299 | 14.8% |
| North Carolina | 328,114 | 14.0% |
| North Dakota | 16,270 | 9.1% |
| Ohio | 358,209 | 13.9% |
| Oklahoma | 171,243 | 17.7% |
| Oregon | 94,559 | 11.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 319,952 | 12.2% |
| Rhode Island | 24,032 | 11.8% |
| South Carolina | 156,512 | 13.6% |
| South Dakota | 22,000 | 10.1% |
| Tennessee | 235,817 | 15.0% |
| Texas | 1,277,318 | 16.7% |
| Utah | 81,857 | 8.79% |
| Vermont | 8,545 | 7.61% |
| Virginia | 193,683 | 10.3% |
| Washington | 159,681 | 9.65% |
| West Virginia | 55,172 | 15.9% |
| Wisconsin | 154,572 | 12.5% |
| Wyoming | 14,135 | 11.3% |
National School Lunch Program
In 1946, President Harry Truman signed the National School Lunch Act, establishing the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
- The NSLP feeds children from pre-K through grade 12 at over 100,000 schools.
- In the program’s fiscal year (FY) 2024, the NSLP spent $17.7 billion feeding U.S. students 4.86 billion lunches.
- 72.5% of participating children receive free or reduced-price lunch as of FY2025.
- The NSLP provided free and reduced-price lunches at a record rate in FY2021 when 98.9% of participating schoolchildren qualified for free or reduced lunch.
- 21.3 million children received free lunch daily in FY2025; 800,000 children receive reduced-price lunches.
- 8.1 million of NSLP participating students pay full price for lunch.
School Breakfast Program
The School Breakfast Program (SBP) doesn’t serve as many meals as the NSLP although a larger share of its participants (from pre-K through grade 12) qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
- In FY2024, the SBP spent $5.7 billion feeding U.S. students 2.55 billion breakfast meals.
- 80.2% of participating children receive free or reduced-price breakfast as of FY2025.
- The SBP provided free and reduced-price lunches at a record rate in FY2021 when 99.4% of SBP participants qualified for free or reduced breakfast.
- 12.4 million children received free breakfast daily in FY2025; 370,000 children receive reduced-price breakfast.
- 3.06 million of SBP participating students pay full price for breakfast.
Children’s Food Insecurity Statistics
Children unable to afford a proper meal are defined as being food-insecure; they lack reliable access to food. A significant number of schoolchildren deal with food insecurity.
- 96.3% of surveyed school districts reported an annual increase in the number of students who couldn’t afford meals.
- 19.5% of children in the U.S. come from food-insecure households.
- 12.9% of U.S. children qualify for free or reduced-price lunch from the NSLP.
- Between 2023 and 2024, the number of children from food-insecure households increased by 738,690 (5.53%).
| State | Number of Food Insecure Children | Child Food Insecurity Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 276,640 | 24.4% |
| Alaska | 34,780 | 20.0% |
| Arizona | 327,410 | 20.6% |
| Arkansas | 188,560 | 27.0% |
| California | 1,680,090 | 20.0% |
| Colorado | 218,240 | 18.1% |
| Connecticut | 137,020 | 18.8% |
| Delaware | 44,330 | 20.7% |
| District of Columbia | 28,380 | 21.8% |
| Florida | 937,520 | 20.9% |
| Georgia | 548,030 | 21.7% |
| Hawaii | 63,170 | 54.0% |
| Idaho | 84,750 | 18.1% |
| Illinois | 484,790 | 18.0% |
| Indiana | 327,150 | 20.7% |
| Iowa | 129,340 | 17.8% |
| Kansas | 143,460 | 20.9% |
| Kentucky | 257,750 | 25.3% |
| Louisiana | 272,960 | 25.7% |
| Maine | 50,590 | 20.7% |
| Maryland | 260,720 | 19.7% |
| Massachusetts | 228,390 | 16.9% |
| Michigan | 414,840 | 19.7% |
| Minnesota | 207,830 | 16.1% |
| Mississippi | 176,410 | 26.3% |
| Missouri | 281,140 | 20.6% |
| Montana | 42,050 | 18.3% |
| Nebraska | 102,500 | 21.4% |
| Nevada | 148,850 | 21.6% |
| New Hampshire | 38,430 | 15.5% |
| New Jersey | 329,510 | 16.1% |
| New Mexico | 107,560 | 24.2% |
| New York | 837,570 | 21.1% |
| North Carolina | 504,790 | 21.5% |
| North Dakota | 30,130 | 16.9% |
| Ohio | 534,640 | 20.8% |
| Oklahoma | 263,450 | 27.3% |
| Oregon | 160,270 | 19.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 507,860 | 19.3% |
| Rhode Island | 37,550 | 18.4% |
| South Carolina | 237,140 | 20.6% |
| South Dakota | 41,510 | 19.1% |
| Tennessee | 346,790 | 22.0% |
| Texas | 1,995,810 | 26.1% |
| Utah | 177,950 | 19.1% |
| Vermont | 19,420 | 17.3% |
| Virginia | 302,630 | 16.1% |
| Washington | 325,880 | 19.7% |
| West Virginia | 84,880 | 24.4% |
| Wisconsin | 249,310 | 20.2% |
| Wyoming | 25,700 | 20.6% |
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.
Alabama Unpaid School Meal Policy
Alabama has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made at the district level.
Alaska Unpaid School Meal Policy
Alaska has no formal statewide policy and decisions are made at the district level.
Arizona Unpaid School Meal Policy
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 Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Arkansas prohibits schools taking any action that may stigmatize a student with unpaid meal fees (i.e., lunch shaming); such actions include denying meals or providing alternative meals.
Arkansas school districts may use state education funding to provide free school meals to all students.
California Unpaid School Meal Policy
California law requires all schools to provide reimbursable meals to all students, including those whose parents or guardians have unpaid school meal fees. Meals cannot be denied to any student as a form of punishment under any circumstances.
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 educational agency are required 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.
Colorado Unpaid School Meal Policy
Colorado has no statewide policy regarding unpaid school meal fees.
All schools in Colorado with 70% or more free and reduced-price certified students must offer free breakfast to all students.
Connecticut Unpaid School Meal Policy
Connecticut does not have any statewide policies regarding unpaid school meal fees per se; state law only requires every school to offer a daily lunch period.
Delaware Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Delaware does not have any statewide policies regarding unpaid school meal fees per se; if a child cannot attend a charter school because it does not participate in the National School Lunch Program, and that child qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch through the NSLP, the school is required to provide a free lunch to that child,
District of Columbia Unpaid School Meal Policy
D.C. does not have any statewide policies regarding unpaid school meal fees. All public and public charter schools are required to serve free breakfast to all students.
Florida Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Florida does not have any statewide policies regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Georgia Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Georgia does not have any laws regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Hawaii Unpaid School Meal Policy
School districts in Hawaii cannot deny meals to students with insufficient funds during the first 21 days of school. For the rest of the school year, school districts must give students with unpaid meal fees a seven-day grace period.
Idaho Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Idaho does not have any laws regarding unpaid school meal fees or the administration of school nutrition.
Illinois Unpaid School Meal Policy
Illinois state law does not permit schools to publicly identify or stigmatize in any way students who have unpaid meal fees. Furthermore, schools may not identify or “lunch shame” students who cannot pay for a meal or snack.
Indiana Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Idaho does not have any legislation regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Iowa Unpaid School Meal Policy
Iowa state law prohibits schools from publicly identifying or stigmatizing in any way students who have unpaid meal fees. Furthermore, schools may not identify or “lunch shame” students who cannot pay for a meal.
Kansas Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Kansas does not have any legislation regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Kentucky Unpaid School Meal Policy
Kentucky state law prohibits schools from publicly identifying or stigmatizing in any way students who cannot pay for a meal.
Louisiana Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Louisiana allows public schools to deny meals to students due to unpaid meal fees (provided there is a district-wide policy in place) under certain circumstances:
- Public elementary schools must notify the child’s parent or legal guardian prior to denying the meal.
- This notice must provide the reason for meal denial, the action needed to prevent further denial of meals, and the consequences of taking no action.
- Schools may not deny meals to any child with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that requires the child to receive school meals.
- The school must provide a substitute for the denied meal.
- School boards must submit an annual report on students whose meals were denied.
Maine Unpaid School Meal Policy
State law in Maine requires schools to provide a reimbursable meal to any student who requests it regardless of (a) the student’s ability to pay or (b) the student’s accrued meal debt. Maine schools are prohibited from identifying or punishing students who cannot pay for meals.
Maryland Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Maryland does not have any legislation regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Massachusetts Unpaid School Meal Policy
State law in Massachusetts requires schools to inform families of unpaid meal fees. Meanwhile, schools may not identify or punish students who have unpaid meal debt; this includes denying meals to students with unpaid fees.
Michigan Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Michigan does not have any legislation regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Minnesota Unpaid School Meal Policy
Minnesota state law requires schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to publish a lunch debt policy, which must be made available on the school’s website. Schools may not deny meals to students with unpaid fees.
Mississippi Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Mississippi does not have any legislation regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Missouri Unpaid School Meal Policy
Missouri has no statewide law regarding unpaid school meal fees. Schools where 35% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals must participate in the School Breakfast Program.
Montana Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Montana does not have any legislation regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Nebraska Unpaid School Meal Policy
Nebraska State law does not regulate policy regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Nevada Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Nevada has no law regarding unpaid school meal fees.
New Hampshire Unpaid School Meal Policy
State law requires New Hampshire schools to confirm that all student households are aware of meal charge policies, which must ensure that (a) all students have access to a healthy lunch and (b) no students are subject to discrimination in school meal practices.
New Jersey Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of New Jersey does not have laws regarding unpaid school meal fees per se; school food authorities are required to notify students and their families of school meal programs.
New Mexico Unpaid School Meal Policy
State law prohibits New Mexico schools from discussing unpaid meal debt with students; schools are instead required to communicate directly with parents and guardians. Schools also may not deny meals to students. Students may not be identified or punished in any way as a result of unpaid meal fees or an inability to pay for a meal. Finally, schools must seek free or reduced-price lunch certification for students with longstanding or repeated meal debt.
New York Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of New York requires eligible schools to publish an unpaid meal debt policy. Every school meal debt policy must appear on the school’s website and include procedures to:
- provide students with reimbursable meals of choice at request.
- train faculty and staff to follow policy and procedure.
- provide assistance to families pursuing free or reduced-price eligibility.
- notify parents and guardians when a student’s balance is exhausted and payments are due.
North Carolina Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of North Carolina does not have laws regarding unpaid school meal fees per se; all schools are required to participate in the National School Lunch Program.
North Dakota Unpaid School Meal Policy
State law prohibits North Dakota schools from identifying students who receive free or reduced-price lunch. Furthermore, schools may not identify or punish students who have unpaid meal debt by blocking them from school activities or making them perform work.
Ohio Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Ohio has no law regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Oklahoma Unpaid School Meal Policy
State law prevents Oklahoma schools from withholding records from students and their families with unpaid school meal debt.
Oregon Unpaid School Meal Policy
According to Oregon state law, schools may not discuss unpaid meal debt with students; schools are instead required to communicate directly with parents and guardians. Schools also may not deny meals to students. Students may not be identified or punished in any way as a result of unpaid meal fees or an inability to pay for a meal. Finally, schools must seek free or reduced-price lunch certification for students with longstanding or repeated meal debt.
Pennsylvania Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Pennsylvania requires school districts to provide meals to students regardless of the student’s ability to pay. Students may not be identified or punished in any way as a result of unpaid meal fees or an inability to pay for a meal. Schools may not discuss unpaid meal debt with students and instead are required to communicate directly with parents and guardians. Furthermore, when a student owes money for five or more meals, the school district must make at least two attempts to contact parents with information about free or reduced-price meals. Finally, schools may only restrict privileges or activities to students who owe meal debt if those restrictions also apply to students who have other types of unpaid school fees.
Rhode Island Unpaid School Meal Policy
State law prohibits Rhode Island schools from punishing or otherwise stigmatizing students who are unable to pay for meals.
South Carolina Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of South Carolina prevents schools from discussing unpaid meal debt with students, although schools are allowed to send notifications home with students. South Carolina schools may not publicly identify students who are unable to pay for meals.
South Dakota Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of South Dakota has no law regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Tennessee Unpaid School Meal Policy
Tennessee has no statewide law regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Texas Unpaid School Meal Policy
Under Texas state law, school districts are required to notify parents of unpaid meal debt. Texas schools must allow an unspecified grace period for students who have unpaid meal debt.
Utah Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Utah has no law regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Vermont Unpaid School Meal Policy
Vermont has no statewide laws regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Virginia Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Virginia prohibits schools from identifying or punishing students who have unpaid meal debt or who cannot afford a meal. Schools may not discuss unpaid meal debt with students and must direct all communication to parents or guardians. Virginia schools may not file lawsuits against students or parents as a result of unpaid meal debt. Finally, schools may accept donations to pay for meal debt.
Washington Unpaid School Meal Policy
State law prohibits Washington schools from identifying or punishing students who have unpaid meal debt or who cannot afford a meal. Schools may not charge interest for meal debt.
West Virginia Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of West Virginia has no law regarding unpaid school meal fees per se; legislation does regulate a nonprofit foundation designated to help cover the cost of school meals.
Wisconsin Unpaid School Meal Policy
The State of Wisconsin has no law regarding unpaid school meal fees.
Wyoming Unpaid School Meal Policy
Wyoming has no statewide law regarding unpaid school meal fees.