Proposed school meal cuts could raise food costs for families by $2,200

Families could spend $1,900 to $2,200 more a year on food if children lose access to free school meals, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated in July 2026. Republican budget proposals could force more than 24,000 schools nationwide, serving more than 12 million children, to drop the Community Eligibility Provision, the federal option that lets high-poverty schools serve breakfast and lunch to every student without collecting household applications.

A March 2025 School Nutrition Association fact sheet projected the proposal would cut $3 billion from school meal programs over 10 years. It warned that income-verification requirements would leave some eligible children without healthy meals. CBPP projected children in low-income families would likely miss meals, while grocery bills would rise for families that have to replace food once provided at school.

During the 2025-2026 school year, the Food Research and Action Center counted a record 55,362 schools offering breakfast and lunch to all students through CEP.

CEP sits inside a child nutrition system that dates to the National School Lunch Act of 1946, which created the National School Lunch Program. Under CEP, schools in high-poverty areas can serve meals at no charge and are reimbursed using federal formulas tied to the share of students identified through direct certification. Tightening eligibility or adding verification steps would shift districts back toward household forms and income checks, creating more administrative work and more missed meals.

Houston ISD said 33 campuses would no longer automatically receive free breakfast and lunch.