ISBE Announces Income Eligibility Guidelines for Free and Reduced-Price Breakfast, Lunch, and After-School Snacks for the 2024-25 School Year

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has announced the federal eligibility guidelines for students to receive free and reduced-price lunch, breakfast, and after-school snacks for the 2024-25 school year. The National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and After-School Care Program are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by ISBE.

“Ensuring that every child has access to nutritious meals is fundamental to their growth, learning, and overall well-being,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. “Our school nutrition programs, including the free and reduced-price meal programs, are vital in supporting families and breaking down barriers to education. When students are well-nourished, they are better equipped to focus, engage, and succeed in school.”

As of March 2024, participating schools served around 180 million free or reduced-price meals during the 2023-24 school year. Approximately half of Illinois school districts participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the National School Lunch Program. CEP allows the nation’s highest-poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. Last school year, 430 Illinois school districts participated in CEP, providing approximately 900,000 students with access to free, nutritious lunch and breakfast meals.

All school districts that administer federally funded Child Nutrition Programs must offer nutritious, well-balanced, and age-appropriate meals to all children they serve to improve their diets and safeguard their health. Federal regulations require entities to follow a meal pattern consisting of five components: milk; fruits; vegetables; grains; and meat or meat alternates, such as cheese, yogurt, tofu, nuts, and seeds. These guidelines are based on scientific evidence and recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which encourage consuming a variety of foods that are nutritionally balanced and promote health. The MyPlate Guide to School Lunch and MyPlate Guide to School Breakfast highlight how a variety of healthy foods are part of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program meals.

The following charts list the household size and income criteria that determine students’ eligibility to receive free and reduced-price lunch, breakfast, and after-school snacks through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The income guidelines take effect at the start of fiscal year 2025 on July 1, 2024. The USDA sets the policy for each fiscal year to reflect any changes in the federal poverty guidelines. The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (also known as SUN Bucks) Program, which was introduced this summer, utilizes the same guidelines.

Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language) should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027 (USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form), which can be obtained at https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling 866-632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the assistant secretary for civil rights about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 Form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
Fax: 833-256-1665 or 202-690-7442; or
Email: program.intake@usda.gov​