32 schools in Alachua County will provide free meals regardless of income

Staff report

Free meals for students in Alachua County will continue at 32 local schools, including some charter schools, that have been designated as federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) sites for the 2023-2024 school year, the district announced Wednesday.

The program allows high-poverty schools and school districts in areas of low income to serve meals at no cost. Schools are reimbursed based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), according to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

This non-pricing meal service option gives all students at these schools the opportunity to qualify for free breakfast and lunch, regardless of income, without having to submit any applications. The same schools from the 2022-2023 school year have been designated, with the exception of Micanopy Academy, a charter school.

The lunch line at the new Terwilliger Elementary School, in Gainesville, Fla., July 28, 2021. Over a year in construction, the first new Alachua County Public School to be built since 2012 will be ready for students Aug. 10 when classes begin.
The lunch line at the new Terwilliger Elementary School, in Gainesville, Fla., July 28, 2021. Over a year in construction, the first new Alachua County Public School to be built since 2012 will be ready for students Aug. 10 when classes begin.

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All CEP elementary schools:

  • Alachua

  • Archer

  • Foster

  • Glen Springs

  • Idylwild

  • Irby

  • Lake Forest

  • Littlewood

  • Metcalfe

  • Newberry

  • Norton

  • Parker

  • Rawlings

  • Shell

  • Terwilliger

  • Williams

All CEP middle & high schools:

  • Bishop Middle

  • Hawthorne Middle/High

  • Lincoln Middle

  • Mebane Middle

  • Westwood Middle

  • Eastside High School

All other CEP sites:

  • A. Quinn Jones

  • AMI Kids

  • Boulware (Charter)

  • Caring and Sharing (Charter)

  • Einstein School (Charter)

  • North Central FL. Public (Charter)

  • One Room School House (Charter)

  • Resilience (Charter)

  • Siatech (Charter)

  • Sidney Lanier

There are 20 local schools not designated as CEP cites this school year, and families of students at these schools will need to meet income guidelines and fill out a family application for their children to receive free or reduced-cost meals.

Meal prices for students for the 2023-2024 year are $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch for reduced meals, and $1.50 for breakfast, $2.50 for elementary lunch and $2.75 for secondary lunch for paid meals.

Families who want more information can call (352)-955-7539 and use ext. 1569.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Free meals will be provided at schools in Alachua County

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