Free & Reduced Eligibility

Remember to (re)apply for free or reduced school meals for the
2023-2024 school year online in August 2023!

School meals WILL NOT be free to all students in 2023-2024.
Households must qualify for free or reduced price meals.

The Free and Reduced Meal Online Application will be AVAILABLE in August 2023!
Submitting an application prior to August 2023 for 2023-2024 may qualify a household
for free or reduced-price school meals for the beginning of 2023-2024.

  • If your household is eligible, the free or reduced meals will begin in 2023-2024 and last until your household qualifies as free or reduced-price again or 30 operating days pass.

District Charging Policy:

  • In the event that a student loses their money or runs out of money on their account, CFBISD will allow students to charge reimbursable breakfast and lunch meals for a grace period of ($17.25) for elementary students and ($11.50) for secondary students.
  • A la carte purchases cannot be charged to an account once a student has a negative balance.
  • To ensure that households are aware of the student’s negative balance, weekly email and phone call reminders will be sent to parents of students with a negative balance.
  • It is our goal that no student will go without a lunch. If a student reaches the charge limit, the school office will provide a courtesy lunch.
  • If you have any questions, please call Student Nutrition at 972.968.6390.

Free & Reduced Meals

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What are the benefits of applying besides free or cheaper meals?

Extra benefits for our families:
(that go beyond free or reduced-priced meals)

  • Eligibility to participate in Pre-K programs
  • Discounted summer school tuition and evening High School course fees
  • Discounted After the Bell tuition
  • Free or discounted fees to participate in athletic activities
  • Discounted Advanced Placement exam fee
  • Free use of musical instruments for band and orchestra
  • Free summer meals at select community locations for kids and teens 18 and younger
  • Discounted Advanced Placement, SAT, and ACT test fees, and free college application fees
  • Discounted Career and Technical Education course fees
  • Discounted ONRamps UT College credit sources
  • Qualifying for free or reduced meals in 2021-2022 will ensure 30 days (or until a new eligibility is determined) of free or reduced meals at the beginning of 2022-2023 when meals are no longer free to all
  • Eligibility to receive Pandemic-Electronic Benefits (P-EBT)
  • Discounted rates on internet services
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Impact on our community

School accountability ratings can have a significant impact on home prices in our community, therefore is important for our families to understand that a school may receive a lower rating because economically disadvantaged students were not considered properly
in test results which could affect the entire neighborhood.

As you can see, the benefits of free and reduced qualification do not only apply to receiving school meals free or at a reduced rate, but provide many other discounts and benefits to our families and to the
District overall.

It is important that every family is aware of these benefits and encourage other families to apply for the benefits that they may be eligible to receive.

Your help is essential!

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Impact on CFBISD

  1. The District receives 20% more funding per student that qualifies for free and reduced status. Increasing our percentage can add millions in state revenue to the District.
  2. The District can take advantage of more grant opportunities based on these counts.
  3. The District’s ratings for accountability, fiscal effectiveness and other measures are impacted by our percentage of free and reduced students.
  4. The District realizes higher reimbursement rates for federal technology subsidies.
  5. General fund money used in the past to cover cafeteria balances can be used elsewhere.

Visit www.nlappscloud.com to begin or to
learn more about the online application
process. Contact the Student Nutrition Office at 972-968-6390 if you have questions about the online application.

FAQ