As millions of kids lose SNAP food benefits, free school meals are also at risk
When Republican lawmakers secured cuts to the United States' largest food assistance program last year, Paige Shoemaker DeMio wasn't worried about children going hungry just at home — but at school.
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children → lose → school
"Anytime we're hearing about cuts to SNAP or Medicaid, we're worried about what's going to be the domino effect of this," she says.
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she → hear → this
Shoemaker DeMio is a senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank.
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DeMio → lean → Progress
She usually focuses on K-12 education, but in recent months, she has been following the changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps.
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she → focus → SNAP
That's because SNAP connects children with other critical resources, such as free breakfast and lunch at school.
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SNAP → connect → school
So when a family loses access to food assistance, the family's child may stop automatically receiving free food at school.
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child → lose → school
And when scores of families fall off SNAP, universal free meal programs at tens of thousands of schools fall into jeopardy.
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programs → fall → jeopardy
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that over a million children have lost food benefits since July 2025, when the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law.
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Act → estimate → law
Among the changes, the legislation led to stricter work requirements to receive food assistance.
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legislation → lead → assistance
Going into this academic year, dozens of schools nationwide have ended their universal free meal programs — including schools in San Antonio, Houston and Miami-Dade County.
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dozens → go → Antonio
School nutrition experts say it's unclear to what extent a decline in SNAP participation played a role.
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decline → say → role
But Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokesperson for the School Nutrition Association, which represents about 50,000 school nutrition professionals in the U.S., says that the full impact on free school meals will emerge in the coming years as SNAP changes take effect.
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changes → represent → effect
"This moment in time could potentially be a tip-of-an-iceberg situation," she says "It could get much, much worse."
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It → say → iceberg
In a statement, the U.S. Agriculture Department, which administers SNAP and school meals on the federal level, said it invests $385 million for low-income communities and people in need of nutrition assistance.
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it → administer → assistance
"School meal programs have varying income limits, and while SNAP participation may ease the application process, a family not on SNAP is not automatically disallowed participation," the department stated.
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department → have → participation
School districts will have to reassess whether they can afford free meals
The Agriculture Department's Community Eligibility Provision helps pay for universal free meals at a school or district if at least a quarter of students participate in assistance programs like SNAP.
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quarter → reassess → SNAP
(If it's 62.5% or more, the federal government covers the full tab.)
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government → cover → tab
More than 49,000 public schools participated as of the 2024-2025 school year, according to the Center for American Progress.
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schools → participate → Progress
Federal reimbursement fluctuates based on the percentage of families receiving assistance.
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reimbursement → fluctuate → assistance
A decline in food stamp participation can lead to a decrease in federal funding, forcing schools to pay more for universal free food when their budgets are already stretched thin, according to Pratt-Heavner.
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budgets → lead → Heavner
This could push schools to shift funds away from classroom needs or decide to stop offering universal free meals altogether, she adds.
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she → push → meals
If districts decide to do away with their free food programs, they may still incur costs in the form of debt from unpaid meals.
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they → decide → meals
That's what happened in 2023.
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what → happen → 2023
When the U.S. ended a federal pandemic waiver allowing schools nationwide to offer free meals, districts reported accruing meal debt as high as $1.7 million, according to a report by the School Nutrition Association.
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districts → end → Association
"Unpaid meal debt becomes an issue not only for the school meal program, but for the school district budget, which has to pay teachers and for textbooks," Pratt-Heavner says.
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Heavner → become → textbooks
Erin Bronner is the director of child nutrition and wellness for a small school district in central Phoenix that participates in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).
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that → participate → Provision
Arizona has seen the most dramatic decline in SNAP participation in the country, with more than 400,000 people — including about 180,000 children — losing food assistance over the past year.
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people → see → year
Now, Bronner's district is due to reapply for the provision next year.
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district → reapply → provision
She says she's worried whether her district can afford to keep offering universal free meals.
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district → say → meals
"Due to the dramatic decline in SNAP assistance, the percentage of eligible families [is] not high enough for us to be able to financially sustain operating this provision," she says.
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she → sustain → provision
"So we would actually lose money if we were to continue to operate CEP.
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we → lose → CEP
Students qualify for free food at school if their family earns at or below 130% of the poverty line, which is $42,900 for a family of four in 2026.
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which → qualify → 2026
Reduced-price meals are offered to such families making $61,050 or less.
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meals → offer → 61,050
To access free or reduced-price meals, students can fill out a school meal application.
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students → access → application
But the form tends to be a source of confusion and administrative burden, according to Shoemaker DeMio.
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form → tend → DeMio
"It's easier and faster for children to get fed when meals are universally given rather than individually applied for," she says.
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she → feed → ?
Another issue with the application is that it factors in only income and doesn't take into account a family's expenses or unique hardships, according to Pratt-Heavner.
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it → factor → Heavner
"So, a family that's struggling with a recent rent increase or has a family [member] undergoing cancer treatment may be spending more than they're taking in and might not be eligible for any help at all," she says.
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she → struggle → help
Bronner, in Arizona, calls it the "danger zone": when a student's family makes just above the income threshold but is still cash-strapped.
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family → call → threshold
"They do fall through the cracks," she says.
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she → fall → cracks
…and 18 more, not listed.
