FACT BRIEFAre about 81% of Nevada students automatically eligible for free school meals?
YES
According to the Nevada Department of Agriculture, about 81% of Nevada students are enrolled in a school that qualifies for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal status that allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without families needing to apply.
According to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office, about 87% of Nevada schools are CEP eligible for the 2024-25 school year.
It covers all schools in the Churchill, Clark, Esmeralda, Humboldt, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing and White Pine counties, and certain schools in other districts as well as some charter, private and Bureau of Indian Education schools.
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Sources
US Department of Agriculture Community Eligibility Provision
Nevada Department of Agriculture Nevada Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals
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