The Child Nutrition Program includes school lunch, school breakfast, and after-school food programs. It is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture in coordination with the states. The Program provides free meals to children from households with incomes less than 130% of the poverty threshold and reduced-price meals for households with incomes less than 185% of the poverty threshold [i].
At the state level, the Program is usually administered by state education agencies that operate it through agreements with school food authorities. The Child Nutrition Program cost $25.8, $37.3, and $29.2 billion at the federal level in fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023 [ii].
School Lunches
In 2023, 37% of all schoolchildren in the nation received free or reduced-price hot lunches [iii]; 16% paid for a full-priced hot lunch, and 47% took a sack lunch to school or were home-schooled. The use of the program was dramatically changed over the years impacted by the coronavirus Pandemic from 2020 to 2022. School closures and program eligibility changes occurred during these years, impacting the use of the program.
Entire Welfare System
Child Nutrition is one of thirteen welfare programs. See how it fits in the entire system on the Welfare Programs Page.
Overuse of Program
In 2023, more students took advantage of Child Nutrition Programs than would appear eligible from Census Bureau numbers. Children from households below 130% of the poverty threshold in 2023 (most recent available poverty numbers), who therefore qualified for free lunches, totaled 12.0 million children [iv]. However, on average, 19.0 million students received free lunches in 2023 [v]. Therefore, it appears that over 30% of system users were ineligible.
Improper Payments and Fraud
The Office of Management and Budget estimates that the school lunch program had a 2.99% Improper Payment rate, and the school breakfast program had a 2.38% Improper Payment rate. For more information, see the Welfare Fraud Page.
School Lunch Participation
The graph below shows the number of participants in the school lunch program per year [vi]. The school lunch program has three components: those paying for a full-priced “hot” lunch, those getting a reduced-priced hot lunch, and those getting a free hot lunch. Participation in the full-priced hot lunch program has dropped over the years, while participation in the free program has increased. The dramatic change in lunches over 2020 through 2022 is due to the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic whereby many schools were closed offset by eligibility changes over those years.
History of Child Nutrition Programs
The following history of Child Nutrition Programs was adapted from the USDA history of the National School Lunch Program [vii].
The National School Lunch Program was created in 1946 with the National School Lunch Act signed by President Truman. In its 60-year history, the program has expanded to include the School Breakfast Program, the Snack Program, a Child and Adult Care Feeding Program, and the Summer Food Service Program.
Under the 1946 Act, the USDA provided states with general and special cash assistance and donations of foods acquired by the Department of Agriculture to help schools serve children nutritious lunches each school day.
In 1966, the Child Nutrition Act expanded the program to include a two-year pilot project, the School Breakfast Program. Legislation passed in 1968 extended the breakfast program and authorized funds for food service for some summer programs. In 1969 at the White House Conference on Hunger, President Richard Nixon said the time had come to end hunger in America. The legislation established free and reduced-price lunches for needy children. Amendments to the National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act in 1970 provided special assistance to states based on family income. In 1975, the National School Lunch Act extended eligibility to include residential childcare institutions.
Child Nutrition program costs over the years
The graph below shows Child Nutrition expenditures per year adjusted for the impacts of inflation (stated in 2022 dollars)[viii]. Costs have generally grown over the years as participation in the school lunch program has increased, and the school breakfast and other programs have been added. Costs spiked during the coronavirus pandemic as rules were relaxed.
[i] For a description of the Child Nutrition Programs, see U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], Child Nutrition Programs. [Internet]. Retrieved June 3, 2024. Available here.
[ii] USGovernmentSpending.com [Internet]. Total for Child Nutrition Programs. Retrieved March 15, 202. Available here.
[iii] Data calculated from total students versus students in the School Lunch Program. Total student information from the National Center for Educational Statistics. Digest of Educational Statistics: 2022 table and figures. Table 105.3. [Internet]. Retrieved June 3, 2024. Available here.
School lunch participants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]. Food and Nutrition Service, Program Data, Child Nutrition Tables. National Level Annual Summary Tables: FY 1969-2023. National School Lunch – Participation and Meals Served. [Internet]. Retrieved June 3, 2024. Available here.
[iv] The Census Bureau reports on numbers of children below 138% of the Poverty threshold (130% not available) and that is the comparative number used. U.S. Census Bureau. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2019; Table POV01. Below 138% of poverty. Retrieved June 3, 2024. Available here.
[v] U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]. Food and Nutrition Service, Program Data, Child Nutrition Tables. National Level Annual Summary Tables: FY 1969-2023. National School Lunch – Participation and Meals Served. [Internet]. Retrieved June 3, 2024. Available here.
[vi] ibid.
[vii] USDA. History of the National School Lunch Program. [Internet]. Retrieved June 21, 2022. Available here.
[viii] Data from USGovernmentSpending.com [Internet]. See methodology of inflation adjustment on the web page, Poverty and Spending Over the Years.