CEP meets record-high participation rate in school year ‘23-’24

Last year, 20% more students received free nutritious breakfast and lunch meals through the federal program Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). According to the Food Research and Action Center’s (FRAC) annual report, expanded district eligibility allowed more schools to adopt CEP, giving more students access to healthy, no-cost school meals. This not only helped families save more but also eased the administrative burden on schools managing school meal programs.

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Despite these successes, the past school year also brought significant challenges. Many eligible schools couldn’t participate due to reimbursement restrictions, limiting CEP’s full potential. To address this and enhance the program’s implementation, FRAC has called for Congressional action. Learn more about their findings and recommendations below.

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Key Findings on Community Eligibility: The Key to Hunger-Free Schools

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According to FRAC’s report, Community Eligibility: The Key to Hunger-Free Schools, the year 2024-2025 saw an expansion in CEP’s reach. Over 23.6 million children in high-need schools gained access to free, nutritious meals—a notable increase from the 18.9 million students served the previous school year, marking an additional 3.8 million students benefiting from the program.

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This growth was fueled by 1,298 school districts and 7,531 schools newly adopting CEP, raising the total to 7,717 school districts and 47,766 schools implementing the program nationwide. Remarkably, one in two schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is now using CEP to provide healthy meals to students from all categories—free, reduced-price, or paid—at no cost to families. Through this change, income eligibility is no longer a barrier to accessing nutritious school meals.

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These developments show promising progress toward ensuring that every child in the country has access to free, healthy meals, regardless of their families’ background.

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Reasons behind CEP participation growth

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In October 2023, the USDA lowered the participating threshold for CEP from 40% to 25%  students eligible for free or reduced-price meals or other subsidies. This positive change expanded eligibility to more schools, driving a surge in participation.

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Additionally, several states passed legislation supporting CEP and Healthy School Meals for All, streamlining the adoption process. Seven new states used Medicaid data from the previous year to certify students for subsidized meals, simplifying eligibility verification. Notably, New York allowed newly eligible schools to apply for CEP in the middle of the school year and covered all federal reimbursement gaps. This ensured that schools could implement the program without financial strain.

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Even prior to the USDA’s policy update, New York already showed strong support for school meal programs. The state invested $134.6 million in their school meal programs in 2023-2034 to provide eligible students with free meals. This funding reduced the financial burden on local schools and greatly increased access to free, healthy meals, paving the way for broader participation in CEP.

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How CEP benefits both schools and families

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The CEP benefits not just students, but also their families and schools. Here’s how:

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Healthier students and better student outcomes

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CEP ensures all students can enjoy healthy, nutritious meals regardless of their household income. This eliminates hunger as a barrier to learning, supporting better focus, concentration, and performance in and out of school.

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Eliminates stigma on free school meals

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Making school meals available to all also removes the stigma associated with subsidized meals. Students from low-income backgrounds won’t have to fear being singled out for their families’ financial situation. In turn, this means higher participation rate among students and better performances across the student body.

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Solves school debt

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More than ensuring positive student outcomes, healthy meals also eliminate school debt—easing families’ and schools’ financial burdens. Parents won’t have to struggle paying unpaid school meal fees or risk no enrollment, while schools no longer need to follow up on payments or cover fees temporarily.

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Removes paperwork

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CEP also eliminates paperwork completely. Unlike in the NSLP, parents won’t have to fill up forms and submit documentations, as their children are automatically eligible. Schools won’t need to collect, process or verify school meal applications and track every meal served per category. Instead, they only need to report total meal counts per month—effectively streamlining administrative operations and saving significant time.

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More efficient cafeterias

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Lastly, cafeterias become more efficient with CEP. Cafeteria staff won’t need to collect fees, so students move through cafeteria lines faster and more kids get to eat. Considering students’ limited lunch time, seeing no long waiting lines would encourage more students to line up and eat healthy, USDA-compliant meals for lunch.

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Challenges faced by CEP schools

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While the CEP has achieved impressive progress, FRAC’s report highlights areas for improvement. Many newly qualified schools struggle to participate due to insufficient funding, despite meeting eligibility.

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The primary issue lies with the low federal reimbursement multiplier, which determines the funding schools receive. For schools with larger populations, the reimbursement often falls short of covering the costs of implementing CEP, making it financially unfeasible to run the program effectively.

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FRAC Interim President, Crystal FitzSimons, addressed these challenges, saying “While we are grateful for the recent lowering of the threshold for CEP participation, without additional funding, many schools and districts across the country still struggle to adopt this transformative program.”

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To address these funding gaps, FitzSimmons has called for Congressional action to increase the federal reimbursement multiplier “to ensure that every eligible school can provide free, nutritious meals to all students.” This change would be a step in the right direction, enabling more schools to benefit from CEP, expanding access to healthy meals and easing financial constraints.

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Moving forward with solutions

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For CEP to be successful, schools need more than just eligibility—they require financial support, technical assistance. and essential resources needed to implement the program effectively. FRAC is urging Congress to pass legislation that would drive CEP to greater success and expansion, namely the School Hunger Elimination Act and School Meals Expansion Act. If passed, these policies would raise the federal reimbursement multiplier from 1.6 to 2.5.

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FRAC highlights this point further in their report: “Ensuring that eligible schools and districts can fully implement CEP is a key step towards Healthy School Meals for All — the vital education and public health initiative to offer a free school breakfast and lunch to all students, regardless of their household income, which would raise nutrition equity and support children’s academic achievement.”

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Another proposal is directly certifying students previously eligible for school meal programs using previous Medicaid data. New York already implemented this in the previous year, which saw the state’s adoption rate climb up to 1,209 schools. Implementing Medicaid Direct Certification nationwide could help speed up CEP expansion and success, ensuring more students access healthy, no-cost meals in schools.

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Meet CEP requirements with delicious, healthy meals from Ordo

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CEP is a significant step towards providing healthy meals for every student. Make it possible and easier with Ordo. As a school meal service parents and schools trust, we can help you ensure students eat freshly made nutritious meals at an affordable cost.

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Ordo has become America's fastest-growing school food program, providing fresh meals made from scratch every day in our kitchens. Our chefs focus on cooking homestyle food that’s both nutritious and what students love. Healthy meals result in better student outcomes, and administrators who invest in their nutrition programs invest in their schools.

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Students and parents can place their orders through their ordering app and choose from seasonal menus with 4 to 6 options daily, like Tex Mex Crunch Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing or Chicken Bacon Wrap with Pretzels, Carrots & Ranch.

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Our online platform automates compliance paperwork for reimbursable meals, tracks essential metrics like daily participation rate, and handles all payment and order processing. Ordo offers both vended meal service, where we deliver the food every day, and onsite food service management, where our chefs prepare food on campus. We have served all types of schools, from preschools and daycare centers to private and public schools. We’ve worked with some of the top brands in early education and child care, including Guidepost Montessori, Bright Horizons, Primrose, and more.

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If you’re interested in providing fresh, healthy food for your school, you can reach out to the school partnerships team here.