Meal Assistance Programs

More Than A Meal

The primary use of the meal assistance programs’ data is for school meals. But our district also relies on free/reduced eligibility for school fee waivers, magnet school transportation assistance, Family Resource & Youth Services Centers, Title 1 and other school funding programs, Special Education, sports/summer camp scholarships, other meal assisting programs, discounted internet services (EBB program), college pre-exam testing discounts, KEES scholarships and other college financial assistance, and more.

Please check below to see which program your student's school participates in, and which application or form your household should complete for additional benefits.

Non-CEP Schools:

These students might qualify for free meals, based on family income.

Elementary: Athens-Chilesburg, Cassidy, Clays Mill, Garrett Morgan, Maxwell, Rosa Parks, Stonewall, and Veterans Park

Middle: SCAPA at Bluegrass

Tap here for the income eligibility chart & meal assistance application

Tap here for the income eligibility chart & meal assistance application

Find your household size in the chart below. If your income is less than that listed for your household size, your children might qualify for meal benefits and you should continue to the next set of instructions.

Income Eligibility Chart

FAQ: Non-CEP Schools Free/Reduced Price Meals (English)

FAQ: Non-CEP Schools Free/Reduced Price Meals (Spanish)

f you receive a "directly certified" (DC) letter stating that a child is a DC student -- receiving free meals for 2024-25 -- then you do NOT need to complete an application. However, you must inform Programs Assistant Jessica Morgison if any children in the household currently attending FCPS are not listed in the letter.

What is a DC student? Students may be directly certified (DC) when they receive certain federal benefits, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP). Students whom the district identifies as homeless, Head Start, migrant, or runaways are also considered DC. Some foster children and some children receiving Medicaid may also qualify as DC.

If your family does NOT receive a DC letter, then income eligibility or other categorical requirements are in effect, and a parent/guardian should complete the meal application below.

Families must reapply each school year. The district will notify you when the application has been processed.

Students who do not qualify will pay full price for breakfast and lunch.

go to meal Assistance Application

(Online applications are available in several languages. Look for the language link on the top right of the application screen.)

Did you know? Applying for meal assistance might also qualify your family for help with costs like band instruments, athletics fees, reduced internet costs, college application fees, and even groceries.

CEP Schools:

All students get free meals at school.

Elementary: Arlington, Ashland, Booker T. Washington, Breckinridge, Brenda Cowan, Cardinal Valley, Coventry Oak, Deep Springs, Dixie, Garden Springs, Glendover, Harrison, James Lane Allen, Julius Marks, Lansdowne, Liberty, Mary Todd, Meadowthorpe, Millcreek, Northern, Picadome, Russell Cave, Sandersville, Southern, Squires, Tates Creek, Wellington, William Wells Brown, and Yates

Middle: Beaumont, Bryan Station, Crawford, Edythe J. Hayes, Jessie Clark, Leestown, Lexington Traditional Magnet, Morton, Southern, Tates Creek, and Winburn

High: Bryan Station, Frederick Douglass, Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Tates Creek

Other programs: Audrey Grevious Center, Carter G. Woodson Academy, Family Care Center, Fayette County Preschool Center, George Washington Carver STEM Academy for Boys, Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, Opportunity Middle College, Rise STEM Academy for Girls, STEAM Academy, Success Academy, The Learning Center, and The Stables

Tap here to apply for additional family assistance ...

Tap here to apply for additional family assistance ...

All students enrolled in CEP schools will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost throughout this school year. However, it is still important for families to complete an application for non-meal related benefits associated with student free/reduced data. CEP schools call this the Educational Benefits Form. Filling it out helps both the student’s family and the schools.

Educational Benefits Form

How were CEP schools selected?

Schools were selected based on the percentage of directly certified (DC) students. Note: This is different qualifying data from the total free/reduced enrolled percentages reported at schools.

What is a DC student?

Students may be directly certified when they receive certain federal benefits, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP). Students whom the district identifies as homeless, Head Start, migrant, or runaways are also considered DC. Some foster children and some children receiving Medicaid may also qualify as DC.

More FAQ (English)