Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Income Eligibility Scales for School Year 2025–26

Income Eligibility Guidelines for Free and Reduced-price Meals or Free Milk in Child Nutrition Programs.

Income Eligibility Guidelines
for Free and Reduced-price Meals or Free Milk
in Child Nutrition Programs

 

Effective from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026

Households with income at or below the following levels may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals or free milk. The household size and Income Eligibility Guidelines charts below have been prepared for you to copy and paste them into the Public Media Release and Letter to Households. Please note that the size of these charts will need to be adjusted manually.

National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs

  • Both free and reduced-price eligibility scales must appear in the Public Media Release
  • Only the reduced-price eligibility scale must appear in the Letter to Households

Special Milk Program

  • Only the free eligibility scale must appear in the Public Media Release and Letter to Households

Free Eligibility Scale
Meals, Snacks, and Milk

Household Size Annual Monthly Twice Per Month Every Two Weeks Weekly

1

$ 20,345

$ 1,696

$ 848

$ 783

$ 392

2

$ 27,495

$ 2,292

$ 1,146

$ 1,058

$ 529

3

$ 34,645

$ 2,888

$ 1,444

$ 1,333

$ 667

4

$ 41,795

$ 3,483

$ 1,742

$ 1,608

$ 804

5

$ 48,945

$ 4,079

$ 2,040

$ 1,883

$ 942

6

$ 56,095

$ 4,675

$ 2,338

$ 2,158

$ 1,079

7

$ 63,245

$ 5,271

$ 2,636

$ 2,433

$ 1,217

8

$ 70,395

$ 5,867

$ 2,934

$ 2,708

$ 1,354

For each additional family member, add:

$ 7,150

$ 596

$ 298

$ 275

$ 138

Reduced-price Eligibility Scale
Meals and Snacks

Household Size Annual Monthly Twice Per Month Every Two Weeks Weekly

1

$ 28,953

$ 2,413

$ 1,207

$ 1,114

$ 557

2

$ 39,128

$ 3,261

$ 1,631

$ 1,505

$ 753

3

$ 49,303

$ 4,109

$ 2,055

$ 1,897

$ 949

4

$ 59,478

$ 4,957

$ 2,479

$ 2,288

$ 1,144

5

$ 69,653

$ 5,805

$ 2,903

$ 2,679

$ 1,340

6

$ 79,828

$ 6,653

$ 3,327

$ 3,071

$ 1,536

7

$ 90,003

$ 7,501

$ 3,751

$ 3,462

$ 1,731

8

$ 100,178

$ 8,349

$ 4,175

$ 3,853

$ 1,927

For each additional family member, add:

$ 10,175

$ 848

$ 424

$ 392

$ 196
Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Trending in Nutrition
Recently Posted in Nutrition
  • Salad Bars in the School Nutrition Programs (added 18-Nov-2025)
    Management Bulletin has been revised to update links to resources and contact information. Policy guidance has not changed for the School Nutrition Programs (SNP) and remains current.
  • Annual SNP Verification Requirements (added 17-Nov-2025)
    Reminder to complete the annual SNP verification activities.
  • Learning Management System Account Setup (added 14-Nov-2025)
    This new learning management system will be used as the primary venue for delivering training content to satisfy your annual mandatory training hours for Professional Standards and beyond. These webinars will assist with account setup and overview.
  • DoD Fresh Updates and Reminders (added 05-Nov-2025)
    This MB updates the policy for the DoD Fresh entitlement request process, receipting requirements and provides important reminders regarding DoD Fresh and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Ordering and Receipting System (FFAVORS).
  • Student Access to Meals and Food (added 05-Nov-2025)
    NSD Guidance and Resources for Accessing Meals and Food.