Overview
- Houston ISD announced Tuesday that 33 campuses will not participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision for the 2026–27 school year, which ends automatic free breakfast and lunch for students at those sites.
- The Community Eligibility Provision lets a school feed all students for free when a set share of pupils are 'identified' through programs like SNAP or foster care, and a campus needs at least 25% identified students to qualify.
- Congressional expansion of SNAP work requirements and a reported drop in Texas SNAP enrollment have lowered the number of identified students a school can count toward CEP eligibility and are cited as a likely factor in the district's change.
- Families at affected campuses must submit household applications through the SchoolCafe app or request printed forms from HISD to keep children on free or reduced-price meals, and summer meal sites will still offer free food to children under 19.
- HISD has not said why those particular campuses were removed, TEA data show 21 of the 33 had at least 25% of students labeled economically disadvantaged and three exceeded the 62.4% threshold, and most of the district's roughly 260 campuses will remain in CEP.