This rulemaking finalizes long-term school nutrition requirements based on the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, robust stakeholder input, and lessons learned from prior rulemakings.
Healthy Eating Index scores range from 0 to 100 and are a measure of diet quality used to assess how well a set of foods aligns with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A higher score is ideal. The FDPIR Food Package scores an 84. This is higher than the average U.S. diet, which scores a 59.
This notice announces the Department's annual adjustments to the Income Eligibility Guidelines to be used in determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals, free milk, and Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer benefits for the period from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
The net monthly income standard for each household size is the sum of the applicable SNAP net monthly income standard and the applicable SNAP standard deduction.
FNS Handbook 501, Exhibit O shows the FDPIR monthly distribution guide rates by household size effective Sept. 1, 2023. This document is commonly referred to as the "FDPIR Guide Rate."
For the 2023-24 school year, many families will need to fill out an application to find out if they can get free or reduced price meals.
From this page, you may download the Spanish translation of the Prototype Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals and accompanying materials.
USDA offers prototypes of school meal applications, as well as sample instructional documents intended to assist state and local officials in the design and distribution of their own application materials.
This collection is a revision of a currently approved collection for determining eligibility for free and reduced price meals and free milk as stated in FNS regulations.