Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FARM) Application and Family Economic Survey Form

School Year 2025-2026

 

The SY25-26 FARM/FES Application is available at LINQ Connect

School breakfast, after-school snacks, and after-school supper meals are free for ALL DCPS students.  The purpose of this form is to determine eligibility for students attending schools not participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). For students attending CEP schools, the information will be used to determine eligibility for other benefits.

 

Who Qualifies?

Students may qualify for free lunch benefits if they fall into one of the following categories:

1.  Direct Certification. Students are part of households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) benefits or identified as a Foster child.

2.  Meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant. Students/families should contact their school counselor or the DCPS Homeless Liaison.

3.  Income-Eligible. The household's gross income falls within the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines (see below).

The following schools do NOT qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for SY 25-26 and therefore families must complete a FARM application to determine eligibility for meal benefits:

1. Brent Elementary School
2. Deal Middle School
3. Eaton Elementary School
4. Hardy Middle School
5. Hearst Elementary School
6. Hyde-Addison Elementary School
7. Jackson-Reed High School
8. Janney Elementary School
9. Key Elementary School
10. Lafayette Elementary School
11. Mann Elementary School
12. Maury Elementary School
13. Murch Elementary School
14. Oyster-Adams – Adams Campus
15. Oyster-Adams – Oyster Campus
16. Peabody Elementary School
17. Ross Elementary School
18. School Within A School – Goding
19. School Without Walls High School
20. Shepherd Elementary School
21. Stoddert Elementary School

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

Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines  (Effective July 1, 2025- June 30, 2026) Household Size Annual Monthly Twice Per Month Every Two Weeks Weekly 1 $28,953 $2,413 $1,207 $1,114 $557 2 $39,128 $3,261 $1,631 $1,505 $753 3 $49,303 $4,109 $2,055 $1,897 $949 4 $59,478 $4,957 $2,479 $2,288 $1,144 5 $69,653 $5,805 $2,903 $2,679 $1,340 6 $79,828 $6,653 $3,327 $3,071 $1,536 7 $90,003 $7,501 $3,751 $3,462 $1,731 8 $100,178 $8,349 $4,175 $3,853 $1,927 Each additional person +$10,175 +$848 +$424 +$392 +$196

 

Please note the following information when completing a FARM application:

1. Only ONE APPLICATION PER HOUSEHOLD should be completed even if your students attend different schools. A household is considered all persons, related or unrelated, living at the same address. 
2. Food and Nutrition Services only accepts FARM & Economic Survey Form applications from DCPS schools. If you or your child attends a charter or private school, please contact that school directly.  
3. FARM applications for School Year 2024-2025 expired on June 30, 2025 and a new application is needed for School Year 2025-2026.
   • The grace period for students who qualified for free lunch during the school year 2025-2026 will end on:
     • October 6, 2025 for K-12 students 
     • October 9, 2025 for ECE (PK3-PK4) students

  Benefits of FARM Status 

1. Access to a nutritionally balanced lunch meal at no cost.
2. Waiver of college test fees 
3. Waiver of college application fees 
4. Reduced-price internet services
5. SUNBucks grocery benefits for the following summer
6. Reduced price after-school care

After filling out the FARM application, a letter with the determination of the eligibility status (free, reduced, paid) will be emailed to the family. Applications are confidential and may be submitted at any time during the school year.

For a paper application, please contact your school. Please read our Letter to Household linked below for more information. [Currently being updated, please check back later.]

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Past Announcements

10/3/2024 Notice: DCPS Families may have mistakenly received a letter from Titan School Solutions stating that your school is implementing a new option called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which would provide school breakfast and lunch at no cost.  While breakfast remains universally free for all DCPS students, this message was sent in error and students who attend the schools listed below do not qualify for CEP.  FNS apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.

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