By Sheri-kae McLeod
(Source: Caribbean National Weekly)
Starting in the 2025/26 school year, families with students in Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) will once again need to apply to determine eligibility for free or reduced-price lunches, as the district’s two-year run of universal free meals comes to an end.
The BCPS Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Department will begin accepting Meal Benefits Applications on Monday, July 14, 2025, at www.myschoolapps.com. The online application will remain open throughout the school year, but families are strongly encouraged to apply before classes begin.
Students receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) benefits, or who are enrolled in Head Start, Foster Care, Homeless, or Migrant programs, are automatically certified for free lunch and do not need to apply.
Free lunch program ends due to expired funding
This transition follows the expiration of federal COVID-era surplus funds and program waivers that had allowed the district to serve free lunch to all students regardless of income. The district had been using a combination of USDA initiatives—the Universal Free Lunch Pilot Program and the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)—to fund meals for all students, along with its remaining federal fund balance.
Although those federal waivers expired in 2022, BCPS extended the program using leftover funds. Mary Mulder, Executive Director of Food and Nutrition Services, said the district deliberately continued universal free lunch to “deplete the fund balance back to the levels that are appropriate.” That balance is now exhausted, and schools that no longer qualify for CEP will resume charging for lunch.
In addition to the return of means-tested eligibility, school lunch prices are also increasing by $1 across all grade levels—the first price adjustment in 12 years. Starting next school year:
Elementary school lunch: $3.00
Middle school lunch: $3.35
High school lunch: $3.50
Reduced-price lunch: $0.40
Breakfast will remain free for all students under the USDA’s Universal Free Breakfast Program.
Beginning July 28, 2025, families are encouraged to create a student account at www.myschoolbucks.com to manage meal purchases and a la carte items throughout the school year.
For more information or to apply, visit www.myschoolapps.com.
