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Digest of Education Statistics
2020 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 204.10. Number and percentage of public school students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, by state: Selected years, 2000-01 through 2018-19
State Number of students enrolled Number of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch Percent of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch
2000-01 2010-11 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2000-01 2010-11 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2000-01 2010-11 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
United States 46,579,068 1  48,941,267 49,944,748 50,044,716 50,138,019 17,839,867 1  23,544,479 26,113,604 1  26,341,970 1  26,206,442 1  38.3 1  48.1 52.3 1  52.6 1  52.3 1 
Alabama 728,351   730,427 744,809 742,437 738,485 335,143   402,386 384,199   415,423   407,482   46.0   55.1 51.6   56.0   55.2  
Alaska 105,333   132,104 132,709 132,820 130,905 32,468   50,701 60,182   72,080   62,808   30.8   38.4 45.3   54.3   48.0  
Arizona 877,696 2 1,067,210 993,129 977,571 994,358 274,277 2 482,044 566,549   538,290   534,074   31.2 2 45.2 57.0   55.1   53.7  
Arkansas 449,959   482,114 492,802 495,773 491,696 205,058   291,608 313,314 3 315,203 3 313,991   45.6   60.5 63.6 3 63.6 3 63.9  
California 6,050,753   6,169,427 6,214,620 6,195,446 6,171,073 2,820,611   3,335,885 3,611,597   3,726,495   3,666,552   46.6   54.1 58.1   60.1   59.4  

Colorado
724,349   842,864 904,798 910,050 911,339 195,148   336,426 381,537   380,318   371,615   26.9   39.9 42.2   41.8   40.8  
Connecticut 562,179 2 552,919 529,616 519,710 514,690 143,030 2 190,554 188,877   188,482   214,502   25.4 2 34.5 35.7   36.3   41.7  
Delaware 114,676   128,342 136,217 136,041 138,397 37,766   61,564 65,563 4 47,580 4 43,439 4 32.9   48.0 48.1 4 35.0 4 31.4 4
District of Columbia 68,380   71,263 84,970 86,360 87,686 47,839   52,027 64,900 4,5 65,961 4,5 66,974 4,5 70.0   73.0 76.4 4,5 76.4 4,5 76.4 4,5
Florida 2,434,755   2,641,555 2,811,090 2,832,766 2,846,142 1,079,009   1,479,519 1,633,226   1,622,871   1,569,588   44.3   56.0 58.1   57.3   55.1  

Georgia
1,444,937   1,676,419 1,763,540 1,768,562 1,767,145 624,511   961,954 1,092,777   1,076,613   1,065,941   43.2   57.4 62.0   60.9   60.3  
Hawaii 184,357   179,601 181,550 180,837 181,278 80,657   84,106 86,376   85,219   83,198   43.8   46.8 47.6   47.1   45.9  
Idaho 244,755   275,815 297,118 301,118 308,816 85,824   124,104 136,058   132,442   119,026   35.1   45.0 45.8   44.0   38.5  
Illinois 2,048,792 2 1,973,401 2,009,331 1,992,111 1,956,231 759,973 2 921,471 1,008,830   983,855   956,769   37.1 2 46.7 50.2   49.4   48.9  
Indiana 977,219   1,038,817 1,048,952 1,053,841 1,055,086 285,267   485,728 502,844   525,526   515,796   29.2   46.8 47.9   49.9   48.9  

Iowa
492,021   484,856 500,960 502,877 506,308 131,553   188,486 204,841   201,627   215,291   26.7   38.9 40.9   40.1   42.5  
Kansas 462,594   479,953 489,706 490,629 491,423 154,693   228,852 235,849   233,302   229,930   33.4   47.7 48.2   47.6   46.8  
Kentucky 626,723   673,128 683,844 680,860 677,718 298,334   380,773 401,614   406,314   384,859   47.6   56.6 58.7   59.7   56.8  
Louisiana 741,162   695,772 716,248 715,096 710,797 433,068   460,546 451,173   387,083   379,959   58.4   66.2 63.0   54.1   53.5  
Maine 198,532   183,477 175,383 175,304 175,230 60,162   78,915 79,819   78,522   77,265   30.3   43.0 45.5   44.8   44.1  

Maryland
852,911   852,202 886,187 893,679 896,811 255,872   341,557 413,580   415,367   415,502   30.0   40.1 46.7   46.5   46.3  
Massachusetts 979,590   955,301 953,693 953,645 951,400 237,871   326,849 380,744 4,6 380,725 4,6 379,828 4,6 24.3   34.2 39.9 4,6 39.9 4,6 39.9 4,6
Michigan 1,703,260   1,551,861 1,477,193 1,471,209 1,456,140 504,044   719,800 675,696   740,066   728,205   29.6   46.4 45.7   50.3   50.0  
Minnesota 854,154   837,930 874,432 884,397 888,786 218,867   306,136 329,341   328,701   323,126   25.6   36.5 37.7   37.2   36.4  
Mississippi 497,421   489,462 483,148 478,124 471,298 319,670   345,734 362,296   356,365   348,848   64.3   70.6 75.0   74.5   74.0  

Missouri
912,247   902,375 913,838 910,283 908,255 315,608   406,358 481,683   478,503   456,240   34.6   45.0 52.7   52.6   50.2  
Montana 154,438   140,497 146,213 146,550 147,375 47,415   57,836 66,649   64,961   57,489   30.7   41.2 45.6   44.3   39.0  
Nebraska 286,138   298,276 319,147 323,728 326,081 87,045   127,114 142,555   148,540   147,328   30.4   42.6 44.7   45.9   45.2  
Nevada 282,621   436,840 472,790 481,005 492,353 92,978   219,904 287,510   282,776   301,642   32.9   50.3 60.8   58.8   61.3  
New Hampshire 206,919   194,001 179,762 178,306 177,355 31,212   48,904 49,058   47,169   47,848   15.1   25.2 27.3   26.5   27.0  

New Jersey
1,312,983   1,356,882 1,370,824 1,370,584 1,365,233 357,728   444,735 519,298   519,524   513,638   27.2   32.8 37.9   37.9   37.6  
New Mexico 320,303   335,810 332,184 333,879 333,526 174,939   227,077 237,331   245,797   241,161   54.6   67.6 71.4   73.6   72.3  
New York 2,859,927   2,722,761 2,701,730 2,697,327 2,673,904 1,236,945   1,315,564 1,422,290   1,477,753   1,440,275   43.3   48.3 52.6   54.8   53.9  
North Carolina 1,194,371   1,487,699 1,549,452 1,553,494 1,552,472 470,316   747,978 889,189   868,117   869,659   39.4   50.3 57.4   55.9   56.0  
North Dakota 109,201   94,273 107,460 109,688 111,651 31,840   29,929 33,248   33,001   33,828   29.2   31.7 30.9   30.1   30.3  

Ohio
1,745,237   1,747,851 1,707,469 1,701,472 1,692,789 494,829   745,121 757,120   782,651   767,046   28.4   42.6 44.3   46.0   45.3  
Oklahoma 623,110   659,376 693,747 694,932 698,683 300,179   398,917 433,509   432,732   421,047 4 48.2   60.5 62.5   62.3   60.3 4
Oregon 535,617   553,468 552,350 553,257 551,871 186,203   280,174 279,145   272,748   270,083   34.8   50.6 50.5   49.3   48.9  
Pennsylvania 1,798,977   1,742,608 1,572,026 1,601,823 1,709,334 510,121   686,641 747,388   794,648   869,871   28.4   39.4 47.5   49.6   50.9  
Rhode Island 157,347   142,575 140,469 141,448 141,742 52,209   61,127 66,895   66,156   67,185   33.2   42.9 47.6   46.8   47.4  

South Carolina
677,411   722,203 770,800 777,254 780,529 320,254   395,033 516,520   514,156   483,606   47.3   54.7 67.0   66.2   62.0  
South Dakota 128,598   125,883 135,762 137,251 138,402 37,857   46,718 51,430   51,412   51,080   29.4   37.1 37.9   37.5   36.9  
Tennessee 909,161 2 987,078 997,148 994,568 1,006,267 436,298 2 542,953 586,427 4,5 584,910 4,5 591,790 4,5 48.0 2 55.0 58.8 4,5 58.8 4,5 58.8 4,5
Texas 4,059,353   4,916,401 5,360,055 5,400,720 5,430,433 1,823,029   2,471,212 3,159,896   3,169,088   3,288,771   44.9   50.3 59.0   58.7   60.6  
Utah 470,265   585,552 645,030 666,841 674,355 135,428   223,943 235,042   227,388   222,152   28.8   38.2 36.4   34.1   32.9  

Vermont
102,049   85,144 84,325 84,334 83,642 23,986   31,339 32,507   32,171   30,445   23.5   36.8 38.5   38.1   36.4  
Virginia 1,067,710   1,250,206 1,273,127 1,278,044 1,282,643 320,233   458,879 525,022   560,281   569,998   30.0   36.7 41.2   43.8   44.4  
Washington 1,004,770 2 1,043,466 1,101,514 1,110,163 1,118,916 326,295 2 418,065 480,171   477,543   481,076   32.5 2 40.1 43.6   43.0   43.0  
West Virginia 286,285   282,879 273,845 272,253 267,968 143,446   145,605 122,257   151,490 4 135,107 4 50.1   51.5 44.6   55.6 4 50.4 4
Wisconsin 859,276   872,164 863,557 860,067 858,766 219,276   342,660 323,368   319,045   339,164   25.5   39.3 37.4   37.1   39.5  
Wyoming 89,895   88,779 94,079 94,182 94,236 43,483   32,968 36,314   34,980   34,344   48.4   37.1 38.6   37.1   36.4  
1 U.S. total includes imputation for nonreporting states.
2 Imputation for survey nonresponse. State-level imputations for 2000-01 were based on the reported percentages for 2001-02 applied to the 2000-01 enrollments.
3 Imputation for survey nonresponse. State-level imputations for 2016-17 and 2017-18 were based on the reported percentages for 2015-16 applied to the 2016-17 and 2017-18 enrollments.
4 This state reported only the count of students who were eligible based on direct certification. Direct certification is the process by which children are certified for free meals based on household participation in one or more means-tested federal assistance programs—such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—without the need for a household application.
5 Imputation for survey nonresponse. State-level imputations for 2016-17 through 2018-19 were based on the reported percentages for 2015-16 applied to the 2016-17 through 2018-19 enrollments.
6 Imputation for survey nonresponse. State-level imputations for 2016-17 through 2018-19 were based on the reported percentages for 2014-15 (the most recent year for which percentages were reported) applied to the 2016-17 through 2018-19 enrollments.
NOTE: The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program. Table reflects counts of students enrolled in all schools for which both enrollment data and free/reduced-price lunch eligibility data were reported. Data for 2016-17 through 2018-19 include students whose NSLP eligibility has been determined through direct certification.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 2000-01, 2010-11, 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19. (This table was prepared October 2020.)

2020 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest