The Community Eligibility Provision provides an alternative approach for offering school meals to local educational agencies and schools in low-income areas instead of collecting individual applications for free and reduced-price meals.

Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a provision that allows eligible schools to offer a non-pricing meal service to all students at no charge for lunch and breakfast meals. CEP allows schools that predominantly serve low-income children to offer free, nutritious school meals to all students through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.

Instead of traditional paper applications, CEP uses information from other programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. 

For more information about your school’s participation, contact your local school food service department.

2026–2027 CEP Eligible/Nearly Eligible Report

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to annually publish a list and notify all local educational agencies that are eligible or nearly eligible to participate district wide and by school in CEP.

• Community Eligibility Provision Annual Notification of Local Educational Agencies [ 453.2 kB ]