NY State Serves 275 Million Free School Meals

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Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York state served a total of 275 million free school meals during the first six months of the current academic year as part of the state's new Universal School Meals Program. The program, launched earlier this year, ensures all students have access to free breakfast and lunch, relieving families of the financial burden and saving them up to $450 million per month on grocery costs.

Why it matters

The Universal School Meals Program is a historic initiative that expands eligibility for free meals to an additional 280,000 students across New York, helping to address food insecurity and ensure all children have access to nutritious food during the school day. This supports student success and well-being.

The details

The Fiscal Year 2026 Enacted Budget included $340 million for school meals, a $160 million year-to-year increase, requiring all school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools that participate in the national school lunch and breakfast program to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all students regardless of their families' income. Under this initiative, the state will pay the student's share of costs for all meals served to those not already receiving free meals.

• The Universal School Meals Program was launched earlier this year.
• The 275 million free school meals were served during the first six months of the current academic year.