West Carroll Schools Continue Free School Meal Program

West Carroll Special School District serves all three schools under the National School Breakfast and/or School Lunch Program. West Carroll will continue participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2026-27 school year. No further action is required of you. The USDA provision allows your child(ren) to participate in the school meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit a meal application.

CEP is a key provision of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, which allows schools and school districts in low-income areas to eliminate school meal applications and serve breakfast and lunch at no charge to all enrolled students. CEP gives food service professionals more time to focus on preparing nutritious meals and therefore gives students more time to eat by reducing time spent waiting in the lunch line. More importantly, by offering all students a nutritious breakfast and lunch at no cost, CEP helps ensure more students come to class well-nourished and ready to learn. 

School Nutrition programs don't get extra money to operate; they must be self-sustaining. 

Each meal served has to pay for the entire cost of the program — including food, staff labor, equipment, training, supplies and more. All of that has to fit into about $5 per meal. 

What West Carroll Receives in 2026-2027: 

Lunch reimbursement — 85% of student meals: $5.02 each; Remaining 15%: $0.62 each. 

Breakfast reimbursement — 85% of student meals: $3.05 each; Remaining 15%: $0.42 each. 

When most meals are reimbursed at full rate, some are reimbursed at only cents; the program must stretch every dollar to cover all operating costs while still serving healthy, nutritious meals that help students learn and grow. That's why meal participation and careful budgeting are so important. Behind every school meal is a hardworking team committed to making it happen for our students. 

Children need healthy meals to learn. WCSSD offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast and lunch meals follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for healthy school meals, so please encourage students to participate. "In the operation of child feeding programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, sex, color, national origin, age, or disability." 

Parents or guardians who need further information may contact Mandy Drewry, Child Nutrition Program Director 731-662-4200 or by email at mandy.drewry@wcssd.org