How are school meals funded?
School nutrition programs are funded by student participation, which means that when more students eat, the more revenue the school nutrition program has to invest in ingredients, staff, and kitchen infrastructure. When fewer students participate, funding declines, yet schools must still serve meals, often with fewer staff and more reliance on processed foods.
With greater and consistent funding through increased student participation, school nutrition programs can source high-quality ingredients from local farms, invest in their workforce, and equip kitchen infrastructure to grow their programs.
What about free reduced-price, and paid meals?
School meals are offered to students on a tiered price system: free, reduced-price, and full price. Households qualify for free or reduced-price meals through an application process at the school district or through participation in other federal assistance programs.
In turn, school nutrition programs are reimbursed at different rates depending on whether a meal is served at the free, reduced-price, or paid rate. Free meals receive the highest reimbursement, paid meals the lowest, as the student’s payment is meant to supplement this reimbursement level.
This tiered system is not only an administrative burden on school districts, but it can also stigmatize students based on financial need and allows for meal debt to accumulate when students cannot afford school meals.
In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued waivers that allowed schools nationwide to serve meals at no charge to all students, easing the burden of processing and tracking eligibility for free, reduced, or paid meals at the height of the pandemic. Participation rose while childhood hunger decreased. But the waiver authorizing free school meals for all students expired in June 2022.
The pandemic served as a valuable lesson on the critical importance of providing healthy school meals to all students.
How would this work in Wisconsin?
Every Wisconsin school participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) would be able to provide a free breakfast and lunch to every student who wants one. Parents would still have the option to provide lunch or breakfast for their child.
To keep costs manageable, Wisconsin would continue to use existing federal reimbursements and provide supplemental funding to ensure that every student meal served is reimbursed at the free reimbursement level.
What is the history of no-cost school meals in Wisconsin?
In the 2021-2022 State Assembly session, Assembly Bill 805 was introduced by former State Representative Kristina (Shelton) Sandherr to reimburse meal costs for schools that provide free school meals to all students. Although the bill did not advance, it marked the beginning of a statewide movement to ensure every Wisconsin student has access to healthy school meals at no charge, known as Healthy School Meals for All Wisconsin.
Governor Tony Evers has included Healthy School Meals for All in both the 2023–2025 and 2025–2027 proposed budgets, alongside additional investments in school nutrition programs. In both budget cycles, however, funding for Healthy School Meals for All was removed from the final budget by the Joint Committee on Finance.
The Legislature has continued to consider standalone Healthy School Meals for All legislation, introducing Assembly Bill 754 and Senate Bill 720 during the 2023–2024 session and Assembly Bill 48 and Senate Bill 67 during the 2025–2026 session; however, neither effort advanced before the respective legislative sessions concluded.
The Healthy School Meals for All Wisconsin Coalition remains committed to advocating for permanent state funding that ensures every Wisconsin student has access to nutritious school meals at no charge.
While Healthy School Meals for All remains our ultimate goal, the Coalition will also consider and support incremental policy solutions that move Wisconsin closer to that vision. We will continue working alongside students, families, educators, school nutrition professionals, farmers, and community partners to build support for investments in Wisconsin's children and schools.
Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. FRAC tracks Healthy School Meals for All policy developments across the country.
Healthy School Meals for All movement by state
Nine states have adopted policies ensuring every student has access to free school breakfast and lunch while four states have adopted free school breakfast policies.
Wisconsin and many others are working toward the same goal. Stay connected with the nationwide movement through the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC).
