This is the second in a series of stories counting down to the start of school, spotlighting what is new in HISD in the coming year. For online Nutrition Services, including information about school meal benefits, managing your child’s cafeteria account, menus, nutritional information, healthy recipes and the latest news, go to www.HoustonISD.org/NutritionServices.
Expansion of a federal pilot program is enabling Houston ISD to offer free lunches to students at 169 campuses in the 2014-2015 school year, regardless of family income — no applications required.
The free meals are part of the growth of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. HISD identified participating schools through a variety of economic criteria, including students’ families’ participation in federal assistance programs. About 170,000 or 81 percent of HISD students met the criteria last year for free or reduced-price lunches, and the selected schools tended to have at least 90 percent of their students qualifying last year.
HISD has already offered free breakfast to all students since 2010. This push to expand the free lunch program, known as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), is just the latest step to ensure low-income students don’t go hungry that include providing free dinner to youngsters ages 1-18 on some campuses where need has been determined.
Altogether, the district serves about 270,000 meals daily, providing necessary nutrients, whole grains, low-fat proteins, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
HISD schools included in the free-lunch program for 2014-2015 are:
Elementary Schools:
Alcott
Almeda
Anderson
Atherton
Barrick
Bastian
Bellfort
Benavidez
Berry
Blackshear
Bonham
Bonner
Braeburn
Briscoe
Brookline
Browning
Bruce
Burbank
Burnet
Burrus
Cage
Carrillo
Codwell
Cook
Coop
Crespo
Crockett
Cunningham
Davila
Dechaumes
Dogan
Durkee
Eliot
Elmore
Elrod
Emerson
Farias Early Childhood
Foerster
Fondren
Fonwood
Foster
Franklin
Frost Gallegos
Garcia
Golfcrest
Gregg
Grissom
Gross
Halpin
Harper Alternative
Harris, J.R.
Harris, R.P.
Hartsfield
Helms
Henderson, J.P.
Henderson, N.Q.
Herrera
Highland Heights
Hilliard
Hobby
Inspired for Excellence West
Isaacs
Janowski
Jefferson
Kandy Stripe Academy
Kashmere Gardens
Kelso
Kennedy
Ketelsen
Laurenzo Early Childhood
Law
Lewis
Lockhart
Looscan
MacGregor
Mading
Marshall
Martinez, C.
Martinez, R.
McGowan
McNamara
Milne
Mistral Early Childhood
Mitchell
Montgomery Moreno
Neff
Neff Early Childhood Center
Northline
Osborne
Paige
Peck
Petersen
Pilgrim Academy
Piney Point
Pleasantville
Port of Houston
Pugh
Reagan
Reynolds
Robinson
Rodriguez
Ross
Rusk
Sanchez
Scarborough
Scroggins
Seguin
Shadydale
Shearn
Sherman
Smith
Southmayd
Stevens
Sutton
Thompson
Tijerina
Tinsley
TSU Charter Lab
Valley West
Wesley
Whidby
White
Windsor Village
Woodson
Young
Young Scholars
Middle Schools:
Attucks
Burbank
Cullen
Deady
Dowling
Fleming
Fondren
Fonville
Forest Brook Gregory-Lincoln
Hartman
Henry
Hogg
Holland
Jackson
Key
Marshall McReynolds
Ortiz
Project Chrysalis
Stevenson
Sugar Grove Academy
Thomas
Welch
Williams
High Schools:
Beechnut Academy
Furr
Hope Academy
High School Ahead Academy
Jones
Kashmere Lee
Milby
North Forest
REACH Charter
South Early Sterling
Washington
Wheatley
Worthing
Yates