Dallas ISD News: Dallas ISD continues to offer meals at no-cost under the Community Eligibility Program

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Aug. 4, 2025

DALLAS - Dallas ISD's Food and Child Nutrition Services will continue providing free breakfast and lunch to all students during the 2026-2027 school year through the Community Eligibility Provision.

The Community Eligibility Provision allows eligible school districts to serve nutritious meals to every student at no cost, regardless of household income. Because CEP uses existing eligibility data from other assistance programs to determine federal reimbursement, families are not required to complete school meal applications to receive free meals.

Ensuring every student has access to nutritious meals is central to Dallas ISD's commitment to student success. Research consistently shows that students who receive healthy meals are better prepared to learn, demonstrate improved concentration, attend school more regularly, and experience greater academic success.

For many Dallas ISD families, the free meals program also provides valuable financial relief by ensuring students have access to nutritious breakfasts and lunches each school day. By eliminating out-of-pocket meal costs and reducing the stigma often associated with traditional free meal programs, the Community Eligibility Provision helps create a more equitable learning environment for every student.

In addition to benefiting families, CEP allows Dallas ISD to reduce the administrative burden of collecting and processing meal applications and to eliminate school meal debt. The program also enables Food and Child Nutrition Services to streamline meal service operations and expand innovative service models, including breakfast in the classroom and other initiatives that increase student participation.