Austin ISD to provide free meals to students at 74 campuses
AUSTIN, Texas - Students at 74 Austin ISD campuses will be receiving free breakfast and lunch this school year thanks to federal funding.
Austin ISD says the federally-funded Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program allows districts to serve free meals to all enrolled students at schools in low-income areas without applications or documentation.
Students at the following campuses will be eligible to receive free meals through the CEP:
- Pre-K and Early Childhood Centers: Uphaus ECC
- Elementary Schools: Allison, Andrews, Barrington, Blackshear, Blanton, Blazier, Boone, Brown, Campbell, Casey, Cook, Cunningham, Dawson, Galindo, Govalle, Graham, Guerrero-Thompson, Harris, Hart, Houston, Jordan, Joslin, Kocurek, Langford, Linder, McBee, Menchaca, Norman-Sims, Oak Springs, Odom, Ortega, Overton, Padron, Palm, Pecan Springs, Perez, Pickle, Pillow, Pleasant Hill, Rodriguez, Sanchez, St. Elmo, Travis Heights, Walnut Creek, Widen, Williams, Winn, Wooldridge, Wooten, Zavala
- Middle Schools: Bedichek, Burnet, Dobie, Garcia YMLA, Lively, Martin, Mendez, Paredes, Sadler Means YWLA, Webb
- High Schools: Akins ECHS, Crockett ECHS, Eastside ECHS, Garza Independence, GPA at Navarro, GPA at Travis, International, LBJ ECHS, Navarro ECHS, Northeast ECHS, Travis ECHS
- Other Campuses: Alternative Learning Center, Rosedale School
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What if my child is not at one of these schools?
Students at campuses not eligible to participate in the CEP will get meals based on their meal status: free, reduced-price or paid.
Students not eligible for free or reduced-price meals can purchase meals at a minimal cost:
Breakfast:
- Full Price (All Levels): $1.75
- Reduced-Price (All Levels): FREE
- Adult/Guest: $3.25
Lunch:
- Full Price - Elementary Schools: $3.25
- Full Price - Middle & High Schools: $3.50
- Reduced-Price (All Levels): $0.40
- Adult/Guest: $5.00
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How can my child receive free or reduced-price meals at school?
To receive free or reduced-price meals, children can be:
- Directly certified through state-funded benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Directly certified through enrollment in foster care; migrant, homeless, or runaway programs; Head Start or Early Head Start programs
- Determined eligible by creating an account and completing an AISD free or reduced-price meal benefits application online or by paper application available at school
Austin ISD also works with local agencies to identify all children categorically and program eligible through state funded programs and will notify their households that they do not need to complete an application.
Any household that does not receive a letter and feels it should have should or wishes to decline benefits can contact AISD Food Service at 512-414-0251.
Applications can be submitted or verified at any point during the school year. Information provided on the application will be used to determine eligibility.
Austin ISD follows Texas Department of Agriculture income guidelines to determine eligibility.
If a member of the household becomes unemployed or the size of the household increases, the family should contact the student's school. These changes could make the children eligible for benefits if the household's income falls at or below those guidelines.
Also, new for the 2023-24 school year, students receiving reduced-price meals will also receive breakfast at no cost through funding allocated through the Texas legislature.