Free and Reduced-Price Meal Program
About the Program
Free & reduced-price school meals are provided to students whose families meet certain income requirements. Students on the Free & Reduced program may get 1 Breakfast & 1 Lunch Combo Meal daily for their free or reduced-meal price. Free & Reduced prices don’t apply towards a la carte items (chips, capri-suns, packaged snacks, etc). All serving lines offer a la cart items so please let your child know they only qualify for a Combo Meal.
Parents/guardians are responsible for all meal account charges prior to being accepted on the Free & Reduced program. This also applies if your child falls off the program once the grace period ends. All charges accrued from the time they fall off the program until they are back on the program are the parents/guardians' responsibility.
Paper applications are available below to print, at the food service office, and at all NISD schools.
What to Know for Students on the Program
- Students on the free and reduced-price meal program may get 1 breakfast and 1 lunch combo meal daily for their free or reduced price.
- Free and reduced prices don’t apply towards a la carte items such as chips, capri-suns, packaged snacks and other items. All serving lines offer a la cart items, so please let your child know they only qualify for a combo meal.
- At High School, students on the program may get a reimbursable meal at any of the station lines except for Local Restaurant Row and The Confectionary.
Apply Online: 2024-2025 Applications
Online applications are processed faster than paper applications! Complete your application at the link below.
Check Your Application Status Online
- Visit www.schoollunchstatus.com.
- New or preschool students may NOT show they have qualified for the program until the school completely enrolls the child into their system. If you have multiple children on the program, the child who is new to the district will not appear with the siblings until the school fully enrolls the child.
- You may submit a free and reduced-price meal program application without a student ID for new students. Once they are enrolled in the school, the application will begin processing.
- If your child is enrolled at Northwest ISD, the application status is typically available within 48 hours after submitting your completed online application.
What to Know About the Application Process
- You are encouraged to submit free and reduced-price meal applications before school begins. Parents are responsible for all charges to a child’s meal account until their application is approved. A new application must be completed each school year.
- If you have more than one child attending Northwest ISD schools, add all names to one application.
- Please follow the application directions carefully so your application is processed quickly. An application cannot be approved until all requested fields are completed.
- If your pre-kindergarten child was automatically enrolled on the free and reduced-price program, your other children will not automatically be on the program. You must complete an application for all other children.
- If your child received free or reduced-priced meals last year, those benefits will carry over into the first 30 days of the new school year or until an application is submitted and a new determination is made.; whichever comes first. After 30 days, only students who submitted a new application this school year and qualified for the program will receive free or reduced-price meals. If your child falls off the program once the grace period ends, all charges accrued are the parents/guardians' responsibility.
- If your household receives benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), then your child may automatically qualify for free school meals. Please contact the Food Service Office Department to determine if you are required to fill out an application.