School Lunch - Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in Pennsylvania
Why This Indicator Matters
There has been a steady increase in both the number and proportion of children eligible for free and reduced lunches over the past decade in Pennsylvania. This is likely due to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which was established with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The CEP offers public elementary and secondary schools with high proportions of disadvantaged students a more efficient alternative for enrolling in federally-funded meal plans.[6] Schools with at least 40% of the student population at or below the national poverty level are eligible for the CEP, allowing all students to eat for free without having to individually apply for any meal programs.
[1] Pennsylvania Department of Education. (2022). National School Lunch Program. https://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/Food-Nutrition/programs/Pages/National-School-Lunch-Program.aspx
[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). CDC Healthy Schools: School Meals. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/npao/schoolmeals.htm
[3] Food Research & Action Center. (2022). Benefits of School Lunch. https://frac.org/programs/national-school-lunch-program/benefits-school-lunch
[4] Kinderknecht, K., Harris, C., & Jones-Smith, J. (2020). Association of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act with Dietary Quality Among Children in the US National School Lunch Program. Journal of the American Medical Journal (JAMA), 324(4), 359-368. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.9517
[5] Healthy Eating Research. (2021). Key Findings on the Benefits of Healthy School Lunch Meals for All. https://healthyeatingresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/HER_UniversalSchoolMeals_Infograpic_07022021-1-1.pdf
[6] Pennsylvania Department of Education. (2022). Community Eligibility Provision. https://www.education.pa.gov/Teachers%20-%20Administrators/Food-Nutrition/Resources/Pages/Community-Eligibility-Provision.aspx
School Lunch - Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
because one or more years have been deselected.
Definitions: Children from families with incomes at or below 130% of the poverty level, receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or receiving food stamp benefits are eligible for free lunches. Children in families whose income is between 130% and 185% of the poverty level are eligible for reduced price lunches.
Data Source: Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s analysis of data provided by Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Food and Nutrition, National School Lunch Program - Approved Free and Reduced Applications by School Building.
Footnotes:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many LEAs are operating under the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). As such, the 2020-2021 data will not be available.
Updated November 2021.