Eligibility is primarily determined by household income relative to the federal poverty level (FPL): : Incomes at or below 130% of the FPL.
: Students also qualify if their household receives SNAP or Medicaid benefits, or if they are in foster care. Iowa Reduced Lunch Statistics
: Incomes between 130% and 185% of the FPL. Iowa Reduced Lunch Statistics
Table_title: Data Selected Table_content: header: | Location | Data Type | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | KIDS COUNT Data Center Iowa Reduced Lunch Statistics
: Education leaders have expressed worry over proposed federal changes that could raise the threshold for free meal eligibility, potentially disqualifying numerous Iowa schools from the CEP program. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility in Iowa
: Since the end of pandemic-era universal free meals, many Iowa districts have seen a surge in student meal debt, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars across metro areas.