ORLANDO, Fla. – It is widely agreed that if a student has a full stomach during the school day, it will help them do better in the classroom.
Hundreds of thousands of Central Florida students will be able to get free meals for the 2024-2025 school year.
Recommended Videos
News 6 has reached out to local districts on their school meal policy.
Brevard County
- News 6 did not hear back from the district, but according to the district’s website, Brevard Public Schools offers free breakfast to all students for the 2024–2025 school year, regardless of their status.
Flagler County
- Lunches and breakfasts are free to all Flagler Schools students.
Orange County
- For the second year in a row, OCPS will offer meals at no charge for all students for the 2024-2025 school year through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). There is no need for families to submit any forms or applications to qualify for this benefit, unless you have children enrolled at one of the three new schools opening this year.
Osceola County
- The School District of Osceola County offers healthy meals daily at a reasonable price. At elementary schools, the price for breakfast is no cost (currently participating in Universal Free Breakfast Program) and lunch is $2.40. Qualified families can apply for a meal application for free or reduced meals.
Lake County
- Lake County schools will continue offering free breakfast and lunch meal through the Community Eligibility Provision.
Marion County
- Marion County Public Schools will continue offering free meals to all students thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) initiative.
Seminole County
- Free breakfast and lunch are not being offered to all students, however, qualified families can apply for a meal application for free or reduced meals.
Sumter County
- Sumter County Schools in Florida provide free breakfast and lunch to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010.
Volusia County
- Volusia County Schools will continue to operate the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2024-2025 school year.
During the 2024 legislation session, Florida lawmakers filed a bill that would bring free breakfast and lunch to students throughout the state. The Universal Free School Breakfast and Lunch Program did not pass.
Most school districts across Central Florida start back on Aug. 12. However, some have different back-to-school dates, so the exact days in which school is back in session varies across counties.
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below: