Houston ISD campuses lose automatic free meal status, families must apply
Thirty-three HISD campuses will lose automatic free meals next year, and families must file meal applications starting July 22 to keep lunch benefits.
Thousands of Houston ISD students will lose automatic free breakfast and lunch next school year unless their families submit meal applications and qualify. The district said 33 campuses will not take part in the federal Community Eligibility Provision for 2026-27, ending the no-paperwork meal status that had allowed all students at those schools to eat at no charge.
Houston ISD said parents and guardians can begin the School Nutrition Meal Application on July 22, 2026. Breakfast will still be offered at no cost to all students across all campuses, but families that do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals will have to pay for lunch.
The campuses losing CEP are 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 and Wharton Elementary School; Hogg Middle School, Lanier Middle School, Pin Oak Middle School and T.H. Rogers Middle School; and 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 and Westside High School.
Under the Community Eligibility Provision, schools can serve breakfast and lunch to all students without individual applications if they meet federal participation thresholds. Houston Public Media has reported that campuses can qualify through students in government assistance programs or through federal categories including foster care, homelessness, migrant status, runaway status and Head Start. The Texas Education Agency describes CEP as an alternative approach for operating meal programs in low-income areas.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture lowered the minimum Identified Student Percentage needed to elect CEP from 40% to 25% in a final rule published Sept. 26, 2023, but HISD said the 33 campuses still did not meet the federal requirements. Families looking for help can use the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Square Meals site, which also lists the 877-TEX-MEAL help line, 877-839-6325. The change turns what had been an automatic benefit into another household task, and for many Harris County families, that paperwork will now decide whether lunch stays free next fall.
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