School Lunch Debt Statistics

Report Highlights. The national public school meal debt is $262 million a year.

• 30.4 million students can’t afford their school meals.
• The average meal debt per child is $180.6, yearly.
• 68.8% of surveyed schools had unpaid student meal debt.
• 96% 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.

• 20.1 million students receive free school breakfast, compared to 1.7 million who pay a reduced price of $0.40, and 7.7 million who pay the full price.
• 11.8 million students receive free school lunches, compared to 0.74 million who pay a reduced price of $0.30 and 2.23 million students who pay full price.
• Based on the national total, the average meal debt per child is $180.6 yearly.
• The Feeding America organization found that 89% of households have children who are food insecure. 
• Texas had the most food-insecure children at 1,658,680.
• North Dakota had the least number of food-insecure children at 16,900.
• North Dakota also had the smallest percentage of food-insecure children at 9.8%.
• Arkansas had the largest percentage of children who are food insecure at 23.6%.

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 2023 Trends Report and Survey.

• $10.9 million was the average total meal debt from surveyed districts.
• 50% of schools are offering free breakfast to all students, and only 39% are offering free lunch.  
• Debt per district varies between $1.7 million to $15 million.
• 88% of nutrition programs in the Midwest, and 95% of programs in the Mountain Plains reported the highest levels of unpaid student meal debt.
• Programs that offer complimentary breakfast and lunch saw an increase in average daily participation at 8.9% and 6.4% between 2021 to 2022, respectively. 
• The loss of the federal pandemic waiver that offered free meals to students resulted in an increase in unpaid meal charges in 96.3% of schools. 

Funding Sources

Since schools cannot pay off meal debts using federal child nutrition funds, many surveyed schools looked to other sources such as charity or PTA funds. The “other” category included funding sources such as graduating seniors, roll-over balances, student household funds, or special food sales.

• 43% of school districts reported increasing numbers of students who couldn’t afford meals.
• The “parents” category describes situations in which the parents/students originally had debt but managed to pay off all or some of the debt by themselves.
• Overall, charitable funds and general district funds were the largest contributors to paying off meal debt regardless of the school district size or the region of the U.S.

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 sizes.   

• California has the largest amount reimbursed at $11 million per day. 
• Louisiana has the least amount of meal reimbursement at $1,815.
• Washington D.C., though not a state itself, has a federal reimbursement of $187,795.

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 30.4 million children daily.
• The NSLP provides 18.68 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 5.12 billion lunches per calendar school year.
• Congress spends $10.23 billion annually on the NSLP program.
• To be eligible for reduced-price lunch, a family of 4 must make $51,000 per year. 
• A family of 4 must make $36,000 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 14.4 million children daily.
• The SBP provides 11.1 million free breakfasts daily.
• The SBP provides 1.28 million reduced-price breakfasts daily ($0.30 each).
• The SBP provides 77,856 full-price breakfasts daily.
• The SBP serves 74 million breakfasts annually.
• Congress spends $3.05 billion annually on the SBP program.

Special Nutrition Program Operations Study

This data comes from the Special Nutrition Program Operations Study. A federal study is required under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

• 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 between $2.75 and $3.00.
• School breakfast is between $1.73 and $1.80.
• In an average 31-day month, school lunch costs anywhere between $55 and $60.
• School breakfast for 31 days would cost between $34.6 and $36.
• A full school year of school lunch costs between $495 and $540.
• A year of school breakfast costs anywhere between $311.4 and $324.

Cost to Make a School Meal

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.

• Vegetables are optional for school breakfasts.
• Breakfasts must offer a daily meat or meat alternative.
• The average cost to produce a school breakfast was $2.72. 
• The federal free breakfast subsidy was $3.81. 

District size

• 73.6% of districts with a student population of fewer than 1,000 students anticipated financial loss.
• 59.7% of the districts with a student population between 1,000 and 2,499 students anticipated financial loss.
• 64.0% of districts with a student population between 2,500 and 4,999 students anticipated financial loss.
• 55.2% of the districts with a student population between 5,000 and 9,999 students anticipated financial loss.
• 58.6% of districts with a student population between 10,000 and 24,999 students anticipated financial loss.
• 48.4% of the districts with a student population of more than 25,000 anticipated financial loss.
• The total overall school meal program debt across districts was $181,461.26.
• The average debt per district was $30,243.
• Among the largest school districts with more than 25,000 students enrolled, the median loss was $60,000.

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. 

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 will be reimbursed as well. 
• The Keep Kids Fed Act will also grant 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.

District size

• 70.5%  of the district with a student population of fewer than 1,000 students stated they were seriously concerned about meal reimbursement rates.
• 82.2% of districts with a student population between 1,000 and 2,499 students stated they were seriously concerned about meal reimbursement rates.
• 81% of the district with a student population between 2,500 and 4,999 students stated they were seriously concerned about meal reimbursement rates.
• 80.7% of districts with a student population between 5,000 and 9,999 students stated they were seriously concerned about meal reimbursement rates.
• 81.9% of the district with a student population between 10,000 and 24,999 students stated they were seriously concerned about meal reimbursement rates.
• 90.2% of districts with a student population of 25,000 or more students stated they were seriously concerned about meal reimbursement rates

Preventing Lunch Shaming

According to the National Education Association, “Lunch Shaming” is the practice of embarrassing students whose meal accounts have a negative balance. These are actions taken to coerce the student and their family into paying overdue meal bills. Many states have adopted various anti-lunch shaming policies, but the practice still shows up in new iterations not previously considered. To avoid lunch shaming, these are the suggested options to deal with the situation as stated by the USDA. The USDA recommends for schools to focus on ways to fund school lunches, rather than concentrating on debt collection from the students

• 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 are 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’s Department of Education provides general guidelines but leaves specific decision-making to the district authorities

Alaska 

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

Arizona 

• Arizona has developed at the state level-specific restrictions that affect meal charging policy.

Arkansas 

• Arkansas prohibits providing an alternative meal.
• This state also prohibits throwing away a meal.
• Working for meals is optional in Arkansas.
• School districts have the option to charge extra fees or assign debt collectors to unpaid meal debt.
• School districts have the option to deny the student’s participation in school activities.
• Arkansas schools also have the option to communicate directly with parents rather than the child.

California 

• The state provides an additional $0.2445 per free and reduced-price meal.  
• California prohibits throwing away a meal.
• All public schools are required to provide at least one meal (breakfast or lunch) to all free and reduced-price certified students. 
• California schools are prohibited from denying the student’s participation in school activities.
• California schools have the option to communicate directly with parents instead of the child.
• 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 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 must participate in the National School Lunch Program. 

Hawaii 

• Schools in Hawaii have the option to provide alternative meals to children.
• State funds are allocated to help with the cost of schools for breakfast and lunch. 
• Schools must provide breakfast and lunch and students are required to eat lunch at school. 

Idaho 

• School nutritional employees’ salaries are paid for by the General Fund. 

Illinois 

• Schools that have 70% or more students who are certified for free or reduced-price lunch must give breakfast after the bell. 
• The state reimburses an additional $0.15 per breakfast and lunch served. 
• School districts must provide federally reimbursable meals or snacks to students even if they can pay for the snack or meal or if they are in debt.  

Indiana 

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

Iowa 

• Schools receive an additional reimbursement of $0.028 per meal. 
• 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. 

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. 

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 policies are decided 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 – districts have decision-making authority.

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 

• Schools must 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 lacks a state policy; 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 – decisions are made at the district level.

Sources

1. Food and Nutrition Service U.S. Department of Agriculture 
2. School Nutrition Association 
3. National Center For Education Statistics 
4. Feeding America: Child Food Insecurity 2019 
   • 2023 Technical Appendix 
5. School Meals Legislation and Funding by State
6. School Nutrition Trends Report 2023 
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