Free & Reduced Eligibility

REMEMBER TO (RE)APPLY FOR FREE OR REDUCED MEALS FOR 2026-2027 IN AUGUST WHEN THE APPLICATION OPENS!

The Free and Reduced Meal Online Application will be AVAILABLE in August 2026 on the parent portal, SchoolCafe.
Parents should have a School Café account and add their students to complete the free and reduced meal application. Computers and bilingual assistance with completing the application are available at the Student Nutrition office located at 1505 Randolph St. Carrollton, TX 75006.
Parents may also print the paper application on this page, complete it, and submit it their student's campus or the Student Nutrition office.
Households must qualify each year to receive free or reduced-price meals.
If your household was eligible for free or reduced meals in 2025-2026, your student(s)’ eligibility status will begin in 2026-2027 and last until your household qualifies as free or reduced-price again or 30 operating days pass.

Once you have submitted an free and reduced-price meal application, you can review the status of your application and eligibility determination notifications in your School Cafe account. To do so:

Log in to your School Cafe account.
Click the Menu on the upper left.
From the index, click Eligibility Info.
Under My Meal Applications, you will see the status(es) of any applications.
Under Notifications, you will see the letter(s) detailing the eligibility determination.

26-27 Application (English)

26-27 Application (Spanish)

letter to household 26-27 (English) letter to household 26-27 Spanish)

Applying for Free or Reduced Price meal benefits is quick and easy!

Please watch this short video for instructions to complete an application for Free or Reduced Price meal benefits for your students using SchoolCafe.

Benefits of Qualifying for Free & Reduced Meals

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

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

Discounted annual technology device fee.
Discounted summer school tuition and evening High School course fees
Free or discounted fees to participate in athletic activities
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 tests
Free SAT and ACT test registrations in addition to the already available SAT and ACT tests administered as schoo waived college application fees
Unlimited score reports to send to colleges
Waived application fees at participating colleges
Discounted Career and Technical Education course fees
Free Dual Credit and UT OnRamps college courses while in High School (tuition, fees, and books/ materials)
Free CSS Profile applications to apply for financial aid from participating schools
NCAA and NAIA fee waivers
Qualifying for free or reduced meals in 2026-2027 will ensure 30 days (or until a new eligibility is determined) of free or reduced meals at the beginning of 2027-2028.

Impact on our community

Free and reduced-price meal applications are a critical component of school accountability systems, influencing funding, performance metrics, and overall school improvement efforts.

As you can see, the benefits of free and reduced qualification does 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 encourages other families to apply for the benefits that they may be eligible to receive.

Your help is essential!

Impact on CFBISD

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.
The District can take advantage of more grant opportunities based on these counts.
The District’s ratings for accountability, fiscal effectiveness and other measures are impacted by our percentage of free and reduced students.
The District realizes higher reimbursement rates for federal technology subsidies.
General fund money used in the past to cover cafeteria balances can be used elsewhere.
Discounted rates on internet services.

Contact the Student Nutrition Office at 972-968-6390 if you have questions about the online application.

FAQ

1. Who Can Get Free or Reduced-Price Meals? ¿Quién puede recibir comida gratuita?

o Income- Children can get free or reduced-price meals if a household’s gross income (total, without deductions) is within the limits described in the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines.
o Special Assistance Program Participants- Children in households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Food Distribution Program for Households on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are eligible for free meals.
o Foster- Foster children who are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.
o Head Start, Early Head Start, and Even Start- Children participating in these programs are eligible for free meals.
o Homeless, Runaway, and Migrant- Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant qualify for free meals. If you haven’t been told about a child’s status as homeless, runaway, or migrant or you feel a child may qualify for one of these programs, please call Student Services at 972.968.6506 to see if your child qualifies.
o WIC Recipient- Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals on an income basis. Please complete an application to determine if your household qualifies.

• Ingresos— Los niños pueden recibir comida gratuita o a precio reducido si el ingreso bruto del hogar (total, sin deducciones) está dentro o debajo de los límites de las Guías Federales de Elegibilidad por Ingresos.
• Participantes de programas especiales — Todos los niños en los hogares que reciben beneficios del Programa de Asistencia de Nutrición Suplementaria (SNAP), del Programa de Distribución de Alimentos en Reservaciones Indígenas (FDPIR), o del programa de Asistencia Temporal para Familias Necesitadas (TANF), califican para comida gratuita.
• Los Niños Adoptivos Temporales (Foster Children)— Los niños adoptivos temporales (foster children, por sus siglas en inglés) que está bajo la responsabilidad legal de una agencia de cuidado temporal (foster care agency) o de una corte.
• Head Start, Early Head Start, y Even Start— Los niños que participan en Head Start, Early Head Start y Even Start también califican para recibir comida gratuita.
• Los Niños Sin Hogar, Fugitivo y Migrante — Los niños sin hogar, que son fugitivos o que son migrantes califican para recibir comida gratuita. Si usted cree que hay niño(s) en su hogar que cumplen con estas descripciones, y si no le han dicho que el niño es considerado como persona sin hogar, fugitivo o migrante, por favor llame los Servicios de Estudiantes al 972.968.6506 para ver si su niño califica.
• Beneficiarios del Programa WIC — Los niños que viven en hogares que participan en el programa WIC pueden ser elegibles para recibir comida gratuita o a precio reducido. Por favor llene una solicitud para determinar si califican.

2. What If I Disagree With the School’s Decision About My Application? ¿Qué sucede si no estoy de acuerdo con la decisión de la escuela sobre mi solicitud?

Talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to Kristen Hess MS, RD, SNS, CTSBO, Director of Student Nutrition, 1505 Randolph St, Carrollton, TX 75006, 972.968.6390.

Debe hablar con los funcionarios escolares. También, puede apelar la decisión llamando o escribiendo al Kristen Hess MS, RD, SNS, CTSBO, Directora de Servicios de Nutrición, 1505 Randolph St, Carrollton, TX 75006, 972.968.6390.

3. My Child’s Application Was Approved Last Year. Do I Need To Fill Out A New Application? La solicitud de mi hijo fue aprobada el año pasado. ¿Necesito llenar otra solicitud?

Yes. An application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year. Complete a new application for the upcoming school year unless the Student Nutrition office sent you a letter stating that your child is directly certified for free or reduced-price meals for the new school year.

Sí. La solicitud de su hijo es válida solo por un año escolar y los primeros días del año escolar actual. Debe entregar una solicitud nueva a no ser que el Departamento de Nutrición envió una carta indicando que su hijo es certificado directamente para las comidas gratis o a precio reducido para el año escolar actual.

4. What If My Income Is Not Always The Same? ¿Qué pasa si mi ingreso no es igual siempre?

List the amount normally received. If a household member had to miss work last month, list usual pay. If a household member normally gets overtime pay, include that amount as income. If a household member lost a job or had hours/wages reduced, use current income.

Reporte la cantidad que recibe normalmente. Incluso si estuvo ausente del trabajo el mes pasado, ponga el sueldo que recibe normalmente. Si normalmente le pagan por trabajar horas extras, incluya esa cantidad como parte del salario mensual. Si no, no incluya esa cantidad en sus ingresos. Si un miembro del hogar perdió un trabajo o le han reducido sus horas o su sueldo, use el ingreso actual.

5. If I Don’t Qualify Now, May I Apply Later? Si no califico ahora, ¿puedo solicitar más adelante?

Yes. Apply at any time during the school year. A child with a parent/guardian who becomes unemployed at any time during the school year may become eligible for free or reduced-price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.

Puede solicitar en cualquier momento durante el año escolar. Un niño con un padre, madre o guardián que pierde su trabajo puede calificar para recibir comida gratuita o a precio reducido si el ingreso del hogar cae debajo del límite del ingreso establecido.

6. We Are in The Military. Do We Report Our Income Differently? Estamos en las fuerzas armadas. ¿Tenemos que declarar nuestro ingreso diferente?

Basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. Any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, or Family Subsistence Supplemental allowance payments count as income. If housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is excluded from income.

Su sueldo básico y los bonos en efectivo tienen que ser reportados como ingresos. Si recibe unos subsidios para vivienda fuera de la base militar, comida y ropa, o recibe pagos de Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA), tiene que incluirlos como ingresos. Si su vivienda es parte de la Iniciativa Privatizada de Vivienda Militar (Military Housing Privatization Initiative), no incluya este subsidio de vivienda como ingreso. Además, no cuente cualquier pago de combate adicional debido al despliegue militar como ingreso.

7. May I Apply If Someone in My Household Is Not a U.S. Citizen? ¿Puedo solicitar si un miembro de mi hogar no es ciudadano estadounidense?

8. Will the Application Information I Give be Checked? ¿Van a verificar la información que yo doy?

9. My Family Needs More Help. Are There Other Programs We Might Apply For? Mi familia necesita ayuda adicional. ¿Existen otros programas a los que podríamos solicitar?

10. Can I Apply Online? ¿Puedo solicitar por internet?

Yes! The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application. Visit www.schoolcafe.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.

Sí! La solicitud por internet (online) requiere la misma información que por escrito. Vaya a www.schoolcafe.com para empezar su solicitud o aprender más sobre el proceso de completar la solicitud por internet. Póngase en contacto con el Departamento de Nutrición a 972.968.6390 de si tiene preguntas sobre la solicitud por internet.