Students Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Meals

Racial and geographic disparities in students eligible for free and reduced price school meals show differences in food and economic security across King County.

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Geographic differences in students eligible for free and reduced price school meals

 

About one third (36.0%) of King County students were eligible for free and reduced price meals in the 2021-2022 school year. Comparing eligibility levels shows differences in economic and food insecurity in King County and its school districts. 

  • School district: Eligibility for free and reduced price meals varied widely, from 5.1% of students in the Mercer Island School District to 78.0% in the Tukwila School District.  

  • Race/Ethnicity: Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (81.1%), Black/African American (76.8%), American Indian and Alaska Native (62.5%), and Hispanic/Latino (64.7%) students were more likely than King County students overall to qualify for free and reduced price meals. Asian (23.9%) and White (17.4%) students were less likely to be eligible for free and reduced price meals, although there might be a range of needs for students included in these categories.  

  • Primary language: Eligibility for free and reduced price meals varied widely by the primary language spoken at a student’s home. Students from households where Somali (94.1%), Spanish (78.5%), Ukrainian (70.6%), Punjabi (58.9%), Vietnamese (51.6%) and Tagalog (48.6%) were spoken were more likely than County average to be eligible for free and reduced price meals.      

  • Migrant: Nearly all students from migrant families (98.4%) were considered eligible for free and reduced price meals.  

  • Homeless: Most students experiencing homelessness (91.6%) were eligible for free and reduced price meals.  

  • Special education: At 46.9%, students who received special education services were more likely than County average to qualify for free and reduced price meals.  

  • Trends: After decreasing from 39.9% in 2014 to 34.7% in 2020, eligibility for free and reduced price meals have increased slightly in recent years.  

 

Notes and Sources

What are free and reduced price meals, and who is eligible? The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) promote the health and well-being of low-income children by providing them with nutritious meals. Children who are homeless, migrants, runaways, or in foster care are automatically eligible, as are those in families receiving Basic Food or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. In addition, children in families with income below 130% of the federal poverty level ($34,450 for a family of 4 in 2021) are eligible for free meals, and those with income less than 185% of the federal poverty level ($49, 025 for a family of 4 in 2021) are eligible for reduced-price meals. Some schools with at least 40% of students eligible may offer free meals to all students.   

For more information on these programs, see http://www.k12.wa.us/ChildNutrition/Programs/NSLBP/default.aspx.   

For more information on the relationship between poverty and eligibility for free and reduced price meals, see https://nces.ed.gov/blogs/nces/post/free-or-reduced-price-lunch-a-proxy-for-poverty.  

Data source: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). For more information about data from OSPI, see http://www.k12.wa.us/DataAdmin/default.aspx.