Rebecca Koenig Interim Senior Editorial Director | EdSurge Research
Starting in November, millions of adults and children may lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if Congress does not reach an agreement to fund the federal government. This development could increase the importance of school meals for students, as about 7.2 million children were estimated to live in households facing food insecurity in 2023.
“School meals are as critical to learning as textbooks and teachers,” according to the School Nutrition Association.
Children from families receiving SNAP benefits qualify for free school meals, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Experts say that while a government shutdown could disrupt SNAP funding, it is not expected to affect free school meal programs.
The history of school lunches dates back to President Harry Truman’s signing of the National School Lunch Act in 1946. Early menus included items such as fish shortcakes and liver-sausage loaf, with recipes developed and tested by government laboratories across multiple states. A USDA recipe book from 1953 noted, “Acceptance by children of the dishes prepared from the individual recipes varied considerably by schools... Three proposed recipes were discarded on the basis of the field tests.”
Over time, legislative measures like the Child Nutrition Act in the 1960s and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010 have influenced school menus. More recently, efforts have focused on reducing processed foods and food dyes served in schools. Earlier this year, a USDA program that helped schools buy produce from local growers ended.
Schools are adapting to new federal nutrition guidelines—such as sugar limits—by preparing more meals from scratch using updated recipes for popular dishes like ramen.
A study conducted by Tufts University researchers in 2021 found that schools provide some of the most nutritious meals available to children, regardless of race or income level. However, these meals make up only about nine percent of an average child’s yearly calorie intake. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean at Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition and senior author of the study, said at that time: “Schools are now the single healthiest place Americans are eating... Our results suggest substantial nutritional harms for millions of kids who have not been consistently receiving meals at school and must rely on other sources.”
While approximately 28 percent of SNAP recipients are children between ages five and seventeen—and face potential loss of benefits due to a government shutdown—free school meal programs are expected to continue operating. Some states like New York are considering whether schools can send food home with students, while districts such as those in San Antonio encourage affected families to apply for reduced-price lunches.
Pamela A. Koch, Mary Swartz Rose Associate Professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College, stated: “School meals are not threatened yet, and the Community Eligibility Program that makes meals free for an entire district if enough students are eligible also is not yet threatened... This is a good time to elevate the school meals program to make sure that school students whose families will not get SNAP benefits have other options, such as school meals (as well as food pantries and other programs), to help them fill in the gaps. As we know, school students need to be well-nourished to be ready to learn.”
For schools without universal free meal programs, unpaid lunch debt remains a significant challenge; nearly 97 percent of nutrition leaders reported issues with unpaid debt according to recent survey data from the School Nutrition Association. Unpaid meal debt accumulates when students who do not qualify for free lunch cannot pay but still receive food—a situation where parents are generally expected eventually cover costs.
The USDA advises against practices known as “lunch shaming,” which include actions like discarding student trays when accounts show debt balances.
“To ensure every student is nourished and ready to learn, SNA advocates for providing all students school meals at no charge. Unfortunately, federal school meal funds only cover the full cost of meals served to students eligible for free meals,” according to the School Nutrition Association.
Average unpaid meal debt has increased over roughly ten years; recent surveys indicate it reached $6,900 per school during fall 2024.
Since pandemic-era waivers expired three years ago—which had provided universal free breakfast and lunch—schools have faced higher costs alongside rising debts owed by families unable pay for their children's meals.
There have been stories circulating online about individuals raising money or companies paying off large amounts of student lunch debt; however these charitable acts coexist with broader concerns about why so many children carry this burden.
Families must often make difficult choices regarding how they will provide lunch or pay household bills under current circumstances. Erica Biagetti—director Food & Nutrition Services at Cheshire Public Schools Connecticut—told NPR: Families are “having to make those tough decisions of ‘What am I going send for lunch? What bills do I pay? What am I going do here?’”
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