Number and percentage distribution of public school students, by percentage of students in school who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, school level, locale, and student race/ethnicity: Fall 2022

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Table 216.60.Number and percentage distribution of public school students, by percentage of students in school who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, school level, locale, and student race/ethnicity: Fall 2022
School level, locale, and student race/ethnicity	Number of students, by percent of students in school eligible for free or reduced-price lunch						Percentage distribution of students, by percent of students in school eligible for free or reduced-price lunch
School level, locale, and student race/ethnicity	Total	0 to 25.0 percent	25.1 to 50.0 percent	50.1 to 75.0 percent	More than 75.0 percent	Missing/school does not participate	Total	0 to 25.0 percent	25.1 to 50.0 percent	50.1 to 75.0 percent	More than 75.0 percent	Missing/school does not participate
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
Total	48,860,517	8,972,189	13,598,417	13,111,255	12,179,051	999,605	100.0	18.4	27.8	26.8	24.9	2.0
American Indian/Alaska Native	446,153	37,957	99,505	137,840	163,638	7,213	100.0	8.5	22.3	30.9	36.7	1.6
Asian	2,671,355	971,491	715,017	510,519	393,868	80,460	100.0	36.4	26.8	19.1	14.7	3.0
Black	7,318,009	477,645	1,293,522	2,156,427	3,281,782	108,633	100.0	6.5	17.7	29.5	44.8	1.5
Hispanic	13,933,800	1,090,211	2,700,834	4,260,782	5,665,716	216,257	100.0	7.8	19.4	30.6	40.7	1.6
Pacific Islander	180,190	20,245	47,460	65,641	44,976	1,868	100.0	11.2	26.3	36.4	25.0	1.0
White	21,887,969	5,873,754	7,993,169	5,306,027	2,178,827	536,192	100.0	26.8	36.5	24.2	10.0	2.4
Two or more races	2,423,041	500,886	748,910	674,019	450,244	48,982	100.0	20.7	30.9	27.8	18.6	2.0

School level¹
Elementary	22,596,733	4,020,015	5,524,166	6,120,970	6,684,860	246,722	100.0	17.8	24.4	27.1	29.6	1.1
American Indian/Alaska Native	201,039	14,458	36,226	65,159	83,484	1,712	100.0	7.2	18.0	32.4	41.5	0.9
Asian	1,258,036	470,129	303,260	242,225	218,227	24,195	100.0	37.4	24.1	19.3	17.3	1.9
Black	3,431,358	185,505	486,392	912,624	1,817,672	29,165	100.0	5.4	14.2	26.6	53.0	0.8
Hispanic	6,570,479	484,656	1,071,351	1,895,049	3,067,324	52,099	100.0	7.4	16.3	28.8	46.7	0.8
Pacific Islander	83,418	8,438	17,388	31,527	25,630	435	100.0	10.1	20.8	37.8	30.7	0.5
White	9,825,128	2,603,948	3,269,567	2,625,318	1,199,754	126,541	100.0	26.5	33.3	26.7	12.2	1.3
Two or more races	1,227,275	252,881	339,982	349,068	272,769	12,575	100.0	20.6	27.7	28.4	22.2	1.0

Middle	9,016,934	1,660,508	2,652,712	2,507,659	2,104,725	91,330	100.0	18.4	29.4	27.8	23.3	1.0
American Indian/Alaska Native	76,706	5,905	20,055	24,357	25,961	428	100.0	7.7	26.1	31.8	33.8	0.6
Asian	498,341	194,173	135,040	89,754	67,628	11,746	100.0	39.0	27.1	18.0	13.6	2.4
Black	1,287,080	82,526	241,760	411,732	546,377	4,685	100.0	6.4	18.8	32.0	42.5	0.4
Hispanic	2,492,321	186,478	500,118	793,392	997,063	15,270	100.0	7.5	20.1	31.8	40.0	0.6
Pacific Islander	31,557	3,288	8,097	11,717	8,327	128	100.0	10.4	25.7	37.1	26.4	0.4
White	4,186,613	1,099,654	1,602,796	1,046,127	383,311	54,725	100.0	26.3	38.3	25.0	9.2	1.3
Two or more races	444,316	88,484	144,846	130,580	76,058	4,348	100.0	19.9	32.6	29.4	17.1	1.0

Secondary and high	15,274,019	2,992,377	5,015,634	3,989,067	2,920,133	356,808	100.0	19.6	32.8	26.1	19.1	2.3
American Indian/Alaska Native	137,322	13,706	40,611	41,102	39,448	2,455	100.0	10.0	29.6	29.9	28.7	1.8
Asian	838,533	290,546	255,711	164,943	95,591	31,742	100.0	34.6	30.5	19.7	11.4	3.8
Black	2,241,846	178,219	521,733	745,389	763,355	33,150	100.0	7.9	23.3	33.2	34.1	1.5
Hispanic	4,358,688	375,971	1,038,124	1,431,720	1,428,022	84,851	100.0	8.6	23.8	32.8	32.8	1.9
Pacific Islander	56,078	7,078	20,206	18,776	9,389	629	100.0	12.6	36.0	33.5	16.7	1.1
White	6,994,545	1,986,543	2,901,541	1,417,525	499,307	189,629	100.0	28.4	41.5	20.3	7.1	2.7
Two or more races	647,007	140,314	237,708	169,612	85,021	14,352	100.0	21.7	36.7	26.2	13.1	2.2

School locale²
City	14,301,111	1,646,027	2,883,737	3,774,836	5,732,782	263,729	100.0	11.5	20.2	26.4	40.1	1.8
American Indian/Alaska Native	96,257	9,502	20,125	26,109	37,479	3,042	100.0	9.9	20.9	27.1	38.9	3.2
Asian	1,006,933	266,869	238,245	230,501	250,755	20,563	100.0	26.5	23.7	22.9	24.9	2.0
Black	3,180,696	120,441	401,440	838,663	1,769,759	50,393	100.0	3.8	12.6	26.4	55.6	1.6
Hispanic	5,389,271	264,293	750,249	1,443,761	2,852,110	78,858	100.0	4.9	13.9	26.8	52.9	1.5
Pacific Islander	64,218	5,043	12,710	21,708	24,157	600	100.0	7.9	19.8	33.8	37.6	0.9
White	3,826,119	857,557	1,268,812	1,003,205	599,036	97,509	100.0	22.4	33.2	26.2	15.7	2.5
Two or more races	737,617	122,322	192,156	210,889	199,486	12,764	100.0	16.6	26.1	28.6	27.0	1.7

Suburban	19,090,879	4,943,859	5,550,549	4,634,476	3,476,186	485,809	100.0	25.9	29.1	24.3	18.2	2.5
American Indian/Alaska Native	73,560	13,304	23,960	20,638	14,090	1,568	100.0	18.1	32.6	28.1	19.2	2.1
Asian	1,362,136	582,208	391,926	222,814	115,292	49,896	100.0	42.7	28.8	16.4	8.5	3.7
Black	2,676,224	257,612	619,841	918,004	841,640	39,127	100.0	9.6	23.2	34.3	31.4	1.5
Hispanic	5,600,792	582,486	1,250,517	1,820,634	1,859,661	87,494	100.0	10.4	22.3	32.5	33.2	1.6
Pacific Islander	68,954	10,761	20,944	23,455	13,038	756	100.0	15.6	30.4	34.0	18.9	1.1
White	8,322,171	3,223,891	2,917,195	1,395,334	502,677	283,074	100.0	38.7	35.1	16.8	6.0	3.4
Two or more races	987,042	273,597	326,166	233,597	129,788	23,894	100.0	27.7	33.0	23.7	13.1	2.4

Town	5,304,805	482,309	1,717,939	1,817,738	1,211,967	74,852	100.0	9.1	32.4	34.3	22.8	1.4
American Indian/Alaska Native	99,174	4,487	24,525	36,422	33,117	623	100.0	4.5	24.7	36.7	33.4	0.6
Asian	66,986	9,556	21,942	23,100	11,402	986	100.0	14.3	32.8	34.5	17.0	1.5
Black	493,216	15,857	64,671	128,192	277,779	6,717	100.0	3.2	13.1	26.0	56.3	1.4
Hispanic	1,197,468	46,775	235,007	433,482	461,129	21,075	100.0	3.9	19.6	36.2	38.5	1.8
Pacific Islander	22,683	967	6,754	11,799	3,006	157	100.0	4.3	29.8	52.0	13.3	0.7
White	3,168,173	383,949	1,282,516	1,085,276	374,972	41,460	100.0	12.1	40.5	34.3	11.8	1.3
Two or more races	257,105	20,718	82,524	99,467	50,562	3,834	100.0	8.1	32.1	38.7	19.7	1.5

Rural	9,991,677	1,860,508	3,409,857	2,841,366	1,716,117	163,829	100.0	18.6	34.1	28.4	17.2	1.6
American Indian/Alaska Native	175,782	10,470	30,692	54,206	78,613	1,801	100.0	6.0	17.5	30.8	44.7	1.0
Asian	229,493	110,529	61,629	32,910	15,840	8,585	100.0	48.2	26.9	14.3	6.9	3.7
Black	930,351	77,440	201,356	262,257	378,986	10,312	100.0	8.3	21.6	28.2	40.7	1.1
Hispanic	1,698,739	191,203	456,547	550,484	474,206	26,299	100.0	11.3	26.9	32.4	27.9	1.5
Pacific Islander	23,829	3,403	6,970	8,501	4,639	316	100.0	14.3	29.3	35.7	19.5	1.3
White	6,499,784	1,385,021	2,506,359	1,804,956	694,770	108,678	100.0	21.3	38.6	27.8	10.7	1.7
Two or more races	433,699	82,442	146,304	128,052	69,063	7,838	100.0	19.0	33.7	29.5	15.9	1.8
¹Prekindergartens and schools in the "Other, ungraded, and not applicable/not reported" category are not shown separately.
²Excludes schools with missing locale information. There were 1,068 schools in the 2022-23 data that had missing 2021-22 locale information (the most recent data available when this table was tabulated), representing about 1 percent of all schools.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 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. Data include students whose NSLP eligibility has been determined through direct certification. The free or reduced-price lunch (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 caused a decrease in the number of students applying for FRPL because they were not present to apply for it. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 2022-23; and Education Demographic and Geographic Estimates (EDGE), “Public School File,” 2021-22. (This table was prepared December 2023.)

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