State-by-State Fact Sheets: Community Eligibility Provision

School meal programs combat food insecurity by providing millions of children with the nutrition they need to learn and thrive. The Community Eligibility Provision is an option within the school meal programs that allows schools serving large numbers of children from families with low incomes to offer meals at no charge to all students. 

Community eligibility gives all students access to the balanced school breakfasts and lunches they need to be well-nourished and ready to learn. And when students have access to free meals at school, families have lower grocery bills and more money in their household budgets to help make ends meet. 

Nationwide, 54,000 schools, serving more than 27 million children, adopted community eligibility during the 2024-2025 school year. These fact sheets illustrate community eligibility take-up in each state and list school districts, organized by congressional district, that have adopted community eligibility for some or all schools, and/or have eligible schools.  

Click on a state to view its fact sheet.