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DC Public Schools
 
 

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Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARM)

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Free and Reduced-price Meal (FARM) Application School Year 2022-2023

Students at all DCPS schools receive free breakfast, plus supper and snack at applicable schools.

Many students qualify for free lunch through one of the following ways:

  1. For School Year 2022- 2023, 89 of our schools qualify for free lunch under the USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). To see a list of these schools, please visit: dcps.dc.gov/page/community-eligibility-provision-cep-schools. Households where all students attend a DCPS CEP school do not need to complete a FARM application and will automatically be eligible for all benefits associated with approved FARM status.
  2. At DCPS schools (listed below) students may automatically qualify for free meals through 'direct certification' which means the student or family meets one of the following criteria:
    • Students in households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
    • Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court.  
    • Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, migrant status. 
  3. If your student does not meet the above qualifications and attends a DCPS school listed below, then a Free And Reduced-price Meal (FARM) Application is required to qualify for free meals  based on family income.
  • Benjamin Banneker High School
  • Brent Elementary School
  • Capitol Hill Montessori
  • Deal Middle School
  • Duke Ellington
  • Eaton Elementary School
  • Hardy Middle School
  • Hearst Elementary School
  • Hyde-Addison Elementary School
  • Jackson-Reed (Wilson) High School
  • Janney Elementary School
  • Key Elementary School
  • Lafayette Elementary School
  • Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
  • Mann Elementary School
  • Maury Elementary School
  • Murch Elementary School
  • Oyster-Adams – Adams Campus
  • Oyster-Adams – Oyster Campus
  • Peabody Elementary School
  • Ross Elementary School
  • Shepherd Elementary School
  • Stevens Early Learning Center
  • Stoddert Elementary School
  • School Within A School – Goding
  • School Without Walls – Francis Stevens
  • School Without Walls High School
  • Watkins Elementary School

See the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines below if you believe your household qualifies:

Household Size

Maximum household income amounts

 

Annual

Monthly

Weekly

2

$33,874

$2,823

$652

3

$42,606

$3,551

$820

4

$51,338

$4,279

$988

5

$60,070

$5,006

$1,156

6

$68,802

$5,734

$1,324

7

$77,534

$6,462

$1,492

8

$86,266

$7,189

$1,659

Each additional family member

+$8,732

+$728

+$168

a. Only ONE FARM APPLICATION PER HOUSEHOLD should be completed even if the students attend different schools. A household is considered all persons, related or unrelated, living at the same address.

b. DCPS only accepts FARM applications for the DCPS schools listed above, if you or your child attends a charter or private school, please reach out to the school directly. 

c. FARM applications for school year 2021-2022 expired on June 30th, 2022 and a new application is needed for school year 2022-2023.

d. The grace period for students who qualified for free lunch during school year 2021-2022 ends on the following dates:

                         Kindergarten - 12th: October 14, 2022

                         PK3-PK4: October 19, 2022

 

Benefits of FARM Status

  1. Free lunch at your student's DCPS school
  2. Waiver of college test fees
  3. Waiver of college application fees
  4. Reduced price internet services

 

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement 

District of Columbia Human Rights Act 

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