Millions of children could lose free school meals this fall, experts say

Millions of U.S. children could lose access to free school meals this academic year as changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) take effect. The overhaul, part of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," has already led to an estimated 1.5 million children losing food stamp benefits, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

Losing SNAP has a dual impact on school meal access. Firstly, children in households receiving food stamps are automatically eligible for free school meals; their removal from SNAP ends this direct eligibility. Secondly, a decrease in SNAP recipients can prevent school districts from qualifying for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The CEP allows high-poverty schools to offer free meals to all students without individual applications, a program created under the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

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One of the things that we are very concerned about is the ripple effect. As kids lose access to SNAP, the next school year they may lose that automatic link to free school meals, even if they are still eligible.

An analysis by the Urban Institute projects that approximately 18.3 million students nationwide could lose access to free school meals. A typical family with two children might face an additional $2,200 in food costs annually without this program, according to the Center for American Progress. Florida's Miami-Dade School District has already announced cutbacks to its free meal program, stating that many of its schools no longer qualify for the CEP. SNAP enrollment in Florida has dropped nearly 20% since the bill's enactment.

"One of the things that we are very concerned about is the ripple effect," said Katie Bergh, a SNAP expert at the CBPP. "As kids lose access to SNAP, the next school year they may lose that automatic link to free school meals, even if they are still eligible." She added that families losing both SNAP and free school meals may face difficult choices between food and other essential expenses like rent or medication.

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If families are losing not just SNAP but also that connection to free meals at school, then many of them are going to be facing some really tough choices where they're choosing between buying groceries and paying for other essential needs, like rent or medication or paying a utility bill.