More than 35,000 students will attend campuses where lunch will no longer be automatic starting August 10. Families can still apply for the benefit, and breakfast will remain free for everyone.
School lunches will no longer be free for all students at 33 campuses of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) during the 2026–2027 school year.
These schools will no longer participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, which allows serving breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students, regardless of each family’s income and without requiring individual applications.
Students at the 33 campuses will still be able to receive free lunch if they meet the requirements, but they will need an approved application or automatic certification through certain assistance programs.
Breakfast will continue to be free for all HISD students, regardless of school, family income, or application approval.
The School Lunch Application Remains Open
The application opened on July 22 and remains available. That date marked the start of the process, not its end.
Families can submit HISD’s school meals application through SchoolCafé from a phone or a computer.
There is no deadline prior to the start of classes. The application can be submitted before or after August 10, and families can also submit a new one if their income or circumstances change during the school year.
HISD recommends completing the form even if the family is unsure whether they qualify. Eligibility depends on total income, the number of people in the household, and participation in certain public programs.
Students who are automatically identified through SNAP, TANF, or other eligible programs may not need an application. Families who have not received a confirmation should check their status with HISD or complete the form.
A family of four may qualify with incomes up to $61,050
For the 2026–2027 cycle, a family of four falls into the federal free lunch category if it earns up to $42,900 per year, equivalent to $3,575 per month.
That same household can fall into the federal reduced-price category with annual incomes up to $61,050, equivalent to $5,088 per month.
Although that second classification retains the “reduced-price” label in federal rules, families will not pay for those lunches during the 2026–2027 cycle. Texas will allocate state funds to reimburse schools for the fee that would normally apply to those students.
Limits vary by household size. The full amounts can be found in Texas’s official income table for school meals.
These are the 33 HISD schools outside the universal lunch program
- Baker Montessori
- Briarmeadow Charter School
- Bush Elementary School
- Condit Elementary School
- Harvard Elementary School
- Helms Elementary School
- Horn Elementary School
- Kolter Elementary School
- Mandarin Immersion Magnet School
- Oak Forest Elementary School
- Poe Elementary School
- River Oaks Elementary School
- Roberts Elementary School
- Sinclair Elementary School
- Travis Elementary School
- Twain Elementary School
- West University Elementary School
- Wharton Elementary School
- Hogg Middle School
- Lanier Middle School
- Pin Oak Middle School
- TH Rogers Middle School
- Bellaire High School
- Carnegie Vanguard High School
- Challenge High School
- DeBakey High School for Health Professions
- Energy Institute High School
- Heights High School
- Houston Academy for International Studies
- Kinder HSPVA
- Lamar High School
- Waltrip High School
- Westside High School
During the 2025–2026 cycle, only seven HISD schools remained outside the universal scheme. For the new school year, the number will rise to 33 campuses with a combined enrollment of over 35,000 students.
Each school’s eligibility depends on programs like SNAP
The CEP program considers the share of students automatically identified through SNAP, Medicaid, and other forms of public assistance to determine whether a campus can provide free meals to all its students.
The 33 schools no longer meet the requirements to maintain universal status for 2026–2027 and will revert to the individual eligibility system.
This does not mean that more than 35,000 students have lost access to free meals nor that everyone will have to pay. It means that lunch will no longer be automatically covered for all students at those campuses.
Families needing to apply for or renew SNAP, Medicaid, or CHIP can also check the no-cost assistance sessions available in the Houston area.
The change begins with the return to school on August 10
The HISD school year will begin on Monday, August 10. Families can submit the application after that date, but completing the process as soon as possible will allow the district to determine a student’s eligibility at the start of the school year.
To get help with the form, request a printed copy, or check the status of an application, families can contact HISD’s Department of Eligibility and Student Responsibility at 713-491-5944 or email [email protected].
