Number and percentage of public school students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, by state: Selected school years, 2000-01 through 2022-23

(55KB)

Table 204.10.Number and percentage of public school students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, by state: Selected school years, 2000-01 through 2022-23
State	Number of students enrolled							Number of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch											Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
State	2000-01		2012-13	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2000-01		2012-13	2019-20		2020-21		2021-22		2022-23		2000-01		2012-13	2019-20		2020-21		2021-22		2022-23
1	2		3	4	5	6	7	8		9	10		11		12		13		14		15	16		17		18		19
United States	46,579,068	¹	49,084,316	49,922,161	43,682,772	47,305,808	47,860,912	17,839,867	¹	25,188,294	26,000,645	¹	22,505,692		23,007,582		25,497,745		38.3	¹	51.3	52.1	¹	51.5		48.6		53.3
Alabama	728,351		740,475	744,235	731,868	747,108	749,637	335,143		429,604	409,431		389,844		366,346		450,990		46.0		58.0	55.0		53.3		49.0		60.2
Alaska	105,333		131,483	131,981	---	---	130,658	32,468		53,082	56,618		---		---		51,582		30.8		40.4	42.9		†		†		39.5
Arizona	877,696	²	990,378	1,050,412	949,215	986,811	997,550	274,277	²	514,193	537,767		213,053		321,034		502,189		31.2	²	51.9	51.2		22.4		32.5		50.3
Arkansas	449,959		486,157	495,797	486,176	489,561	493,011	205,058		298,573	324,538		320,372		318,497		315,574		45.6		61.4	65.5		65.9		65.1		64.0
California	6,050,753		6,178,788	6,146,641	5,956,491	5,870,925	5,405,961	2,820,611		3,478,407	3,648,170		3,518,819		3,395,976		3,148,477		46.6		56.3	59.4		59.1		57.8		58.2
Colorado	724,349		863,121	912,936	793,043	818,015	796,145	195,148		358,876	371,748		335,149		313,612		337,302		26.9		41.6	40.7		42.3		38.3		42.4
Connecticut	562,179	²	549,295	510,658	497,403	494,745	496,417	143,030	²	201,085	218,235		210,188		197,542		208,120		25.4	²	36.6	42.7		42.3		39.9		41.9
Delaware	114,676		127,791	139,926	138,092	139,929	141,465	37,766		66,413	39,635	³	36,916	³	34,043	³	35,671	³	32.9		52.0	28.3	³	26.7	³	24.3	³	25.2	³
District of Columbia	68,380		75,411	88,621	89,011	88,115	90,837	47,839		46,416	67,688	^3,4	38,662	³	40,950	³	45,124	³	70.0		61.6	76.4	^3,4	43.4	³	46.5	³	49.7	³
Florida	2,434,755		2,691,881	2,858,020	2,789,117	2,832,225	2,869,830	1,079,009		1,576,379	1,540,439		1,516,191		1,524,242		1,499,128		44.3		58.6	53.9		54.4		53.8		52.2
Georgia	1,444,937		1,702,766	1,769,559	1,729,840	1,740,758	1,750,825	624,511		1,017,193	1,056,179		975,563		455,014	³	1,043,080		43.2		59.7	59.7		56.4		26.1	³	59.6
Hawaii	184,357		184,760	181,088	174,818	173,178	170,209	80,657		93,457	82,399		84,001		81,805		78,447		43.8		50.6	45.5		48.1		47.2		46.1
Idaho	244,755		279,277	310,714	302,345	284,201	290,233	85,824		134,560	115,409		94,924		71,795		101,785		35.1		48.2	37.1		31.4		25.3		35.1
Illinois	2,048,792	²	2,031,835	1,939,414	---	1,858,005	1,601,866	759,973	²	1,027,336	938,330		---		859,312		860,273		37.1	²	50.6	48.4		†		46.2		53.7
Indiana	977,219		1,039,797	1,051,073	1,033,634	1,033,868	1,035,833	285,267		509,604	508,312		489,622		457,278		527,224		29.2		49.0	48.4		47.4		44.2		50.9
Iowa	492,021		490,630	508,605	499,498	503,671	504,089	131,553		200,417	213,375		205,984		201,847		210,258		26.7		40.8	42.0		41.2		40.1		41.7
Kansas	462,594		470,283	491,291	476,334	478,080	484,059	154,693		233,322	228,893		215,837		206,494		232,779		33.4		49.6	46.6		45.3		43.2		48.1
Kentucky	626,723		675,167	691,798	658,656	653,634	658,873	298,334		373,837	385,469		370,230		371,219		378,431		47.6		55.4	55.7		56.2		56.8		57.4
Louisiana	741,162		693,980	710,409	689,923	678,897	718,133	433,068		459,617	403,194		381,630		322,343		448,086		58.4		66.2	56.8		55.3		47.5		62.4
Maine	198,532		179,323	175,101	167,379	168,207	168,909	60,162		80,636	73,593		67,495		63,225		62,905		30.3		45.0	42.0		40.3		37.6		37.2
Maryland	852,911		856,775	909,376	882,450	881,124	889,444	255,872		366,695	381,913		398,389		369,665		450,906		30.0		42.8	42.0		45.1		42.0		50.7
Massachusetts	979,590		952,970	944,867	910,972	910,522	905,589	237,871		352,988	309,594	³	333,828	³	399,105	³	383,252	³	24.3		37.0	32.8	³	36.6	³	43.8	³	42.3	³
Michigan	1,703,260		1,511,030	1,447,278	1,401,205	1,395,579	1,387,069	504,044		724,340	730,727		707,895		713,345		738,639		29.6		47.9	50.5		50.5		51.1		53.3
Minnesota	854,154		845,291	890,824	871,530	864,391	869,421	218,867		323,459	318,681		280,129		272,617		377,378		25.6		38.3	35.8		32.1		31.5		43.4
Mississippi	497,421		491,220	465,990	442,621	441,997	440,285	319,670		352,084	348,462		440,997		440,394		438,955		64.3		71.7	74.8		99.6		99.6		99.7
Missouri	912,247		898,402	904,881	877,160	886,965	892,163	315,608		408,726	452,727		429,409		389,133		424,559		34.6		45.5	50.0		49.0		43.9		47.6
Montana	154,438		142,908	148,266	144,723	148,736	148,465	47,415		60,262	59,559		33,403	³	46,171	³	27,692	³	30.7		42.2	40.2		23.1	³	31.0	³	18.7	³
Nebraska	286,138		303,332	329,938	324,090	327,203	327,229	87,045		133,912	150,419		150,132		135,116		157,708		30.4		44.1	45.6		46.3		41.3		48.2
Nevada	282,621		443,158	493,988	480,109	477,211	483,869	92,978		228,660	319,258		352,911		347,942		394,459		32.9		51.6	64.6		73.5		72.9		81.5
New Hampshire	206,919		187,940	175,789	167,761	168,781	167,683	31,212		50,596	43,493		35,510		35,146		39,201		15.1		26.9	24.7		21.2		20.8		23.4
New Jersey	1,312,983		1,363,967	1,372,553	1,325,442	1,333,641	1,342,214	357,728		501,804	523,960		469,976		456,540		484,832		27.2		36.8	38.2		35.5		34.2		36.1
New Mexico	320,303		335,922	329,903	316,811	316,765	313,917	174,939		229,249	237,085		234,984		236,853		236,178		54.6		68.2	71.9		74.2		74.8		75.2
New York	2,859,927		2,708,341	2,534,493	2,473,919	2,414,354	2,383,534	1,236,945		1,297,148	1,420,866		1,393,961		1,322,963		1,361,094		43.3		47.9	56.1		56.3		54.8		57.1
North Carolina	1,194,371		1,506,080	1,480,802	1,428,956	1,440,719	1,454,368	470,316		809,732	856,466		774,346		731,855		909,599		39.4		53.8	57.8		54.2		50.8		62.5
North Dakota	109,201		98,993	114,006	111,634	112,680	118,329	31,840		30,330	34,486		31,549		24,712		36,391		29.2		30.6	30.2		28.3		21.9		30.8
Ohio	1,745,237		1,656,390	1,688,420	533,660	550,570	1,679,153	494,829		674,438	768,403		346,738	³	225,251	³	606,278		28.4		40.7	45.5		65.0	³	40.9	³	36.1
Oklahoma	623,110		665,404	702,716	694,113	696,369	700,809	300,179		410,378	415,558		406,168		389,420		422,416		48.2		61.7	59.1		58.5		55.9		60.3
Oregon	535,617		533,966	549,400	60,184	532,064	515,488	186,203		286,635	262,911		27,942		124,494	³	285,062		34.8		53.7	47.9		46.4		23.4	³	55.3
Pennsylvania	1,798,977		1,716,262	1,543,296	1,659,509	1,649,286	1,585,821	510,121		712,584	782,049		864,391		858,603		896,892		28.4		41.5	50.7		52.1		52.1		56.6
Rhode Island	157,347		141,124	141,792	136,674	136,565	135,366	52,209		65,184	67,574		62,529		55,657		62,354		33.2		46.2	47.7		45.8		40.8		46.1
South Carolina	677,411		735,998	786,764	766,295	773,592	789,133	320,254		427,396	497,221		475,362		485,609		552,560		47.3		58.1	63.2		62.0		62.8		70.0
South Dakota	128,598		130,294	139,397	138,985	140,731	141,299	37,857		51,678	50,582		50,195		40,390		46,079		29.4		39.7	36.3		36.1		28.7		32.6
Tennessee	909,161	²	982,312	1,014,718	984,029	995,507	1,005,584	436,298	²	575,522	596,760	⁴	310,256	³	293,518	³	302,940	³	48.0	²	58.6	58.8	⁴	31.5	³	29.5	³	30.1	³
Texas	4,059,353		5,077,507	5,494,622	5,371,689	5,427,764	5,358,381	1,823,029		3,059,657	3,310,103		3,233,508		3,289,708		3,383,904		44.9		60.3	60.2		60.2		60.6		63.2
Utah	470,265		600,146	684,048	675,247	685,458	690,111	135,428		362,933	223,431		199,891		184,982		200,844		28.8		60.5	32.7		29.6		27.0		29.1
Vermont	102,049		83,568	83,230	78,854	80,388	80,011	23,986		32,581	29,220		27,347		27,650		24,923		23.5		39.0	35.1		34.7		34.4		31.1
Virginia	1,067,710		1,235,561	1,289,845	---	1,232,322	1,252,612	320,233		487,463	581,521		---		571,311		683,651		30.0		39.5	45.1		†		46.4		54.6
Washington	1,004,770	²	1,050,904	1,141,028	1,085,699	1,076,792	1,085,722	326,295	²	474,940	501,282		459,433		460,042		538,336		32.5	²	45.2	43.9		42.3		42.7		49.6
West Virginia	286,285		283,044	263,475	253,901	252,561	250,692	143,446		148,493	134,897		124,777		125,724	³	129,179	³	50.1		52.5	51.2		49.1		49.8	³	51.5	³
Wisconsin	859,276		871,376	853,696	829,041	822,492	820,326	219,276		360,803	339,283		354,471		324,879		332,197		25.5		41.4	39.7		42.8		39.5		40.5
Wyoming	89,895		91,533	94,481	92,666	92,746	92,285	43,483		34,617	32,731		30,785		26,213		31,862		48.4		37.8	34.6		33.2		28.3		34.5
---Not available.
†Not applicable.
¹U.S. total includes imputation for nonreporting states.
²Imputation for survey nonresponse. State-level imputations for 2000-01 were based on the reported percentages for 2001-02 applied to the 2000-01 enrollments.
³This 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.
⁴Imputation for survey nonresponse. State-level imputations for 2019-20 were based on the reported percentages for 2015-16 (the most recent year for which percentages were reported) applied to the 2019-20 enrollments.
NOTE: The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program. To be eligible for free lunch under the program, a student must be from a household with an income at or below 130 percent of the poverty threshold; to be eligible for reduced-price lunch, a student must be from a household with an income between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty threshold. Table reflects counts of students enrolled in all schools for which both enrollment data and free/reduced-price lunch eligibility data were reported. For 2019-20 through 2022-23, students reported as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL) also include students whose NSLP eligibility has been determined through direct certification. The FRPL counts show large shifts in the last several years in some states. These changes were due to (1) the Seamless Summer Option, which allowed schools to provide meals to all students, regardless of demonstrated need, beginning October 1, 2020, and (2) the shift away from in-person instruction (particularly for school year 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic), which may have caused a decrease in the number of students applying for FRPL because they were not present to apply for it.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 2000-01, 2012-13, and 2019-20 through 2022-23. (This table was prepared January 2024.)

2023 Tables and Figures

All Years of Tables and Figures

Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Download Excel Excel format

(55KB)