Free & Reduced Meals Information and Application

  • My School Apps Logo

    Apply now for the
    2024-2025 Free and Reduced Meal Program 

    To Apply go to: MySchoolApps.com 
    Use the search function to find the Chandler Unified School District

     

    Children need healthy and nutritious meals to learn and grow. CUSD Nutrition offers healthy meals every school day. The Free and Reduced Lunch Program provides students from eligible families with free or reduced meals at school.   

    Benefits:

    • School Meals - Free or Reduced prices on delicious and nutritious meals
    • P-EBT – Eligibility to receive Pandemic EBT
    • Academic Tests – Reduced registration Fees for AP, SAT, and/or ACT tests
    • Internet Access – Eligible for discounted rates on internet services
    • Athletics – Free or discounted fees to participate in most sports

    Your child/children may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals if: 

    • All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP/TANF, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) or FDPIR, are eligible for free meals.
    • Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.
    • Children participating in their school's Head Start program are eligible for free meals.
    • Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals.
    • Children may receive free or reduced price meals if your household's income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. Your children may qualify for free or reduced price meals if your household income falls at or below the limits.
    • Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced price meals. Please send in an application.
    • If your child doesn’t qualify at this time, you may still apply later on if your situation changes later in the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.
    • If you are unsure if your child qualifies, fill out the application anyway.

    Due to being a part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) students at the following schools do not need to apply for Free and Reduced Meals:
    Andersen Elementary, Bologna Elementary, Conley Elementary, Frye Elementary, Galveston Elementary, Hartford Elementary, Sanborn Elementary, San Marcos Elementary, Shumway Leadership Academy
    For more information on the CEP program please visit our page: CUSD Community Eligibility Provision

    Other Information:

    • Students who have been accepted to the program in the past must re-apply each school year to continue receiving the benefits after the first 30 days of a new school year. 

    • Your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced price meals.
    • If you have multiple children attending CUSD schools there is no need to fill out an application for each child. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household.
    • If your child was approved for last year you will need to fill out a new application again this year. Your child's application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year. You must send in a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year.
    • The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 established that once a household is approved for free and reduced-price benefits, the household will remain eligible for those benefits for the remainder of the school year plus the first 30 operating days in the following school year. This means the household is no longer required to report changes in circumstances, such as an increase in income, a decrease in household size, or when the household is no longer certified as eligible for food stamps or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) once approved. 

    Key Dates:

    • July 8- Online Application portal opens for free or reduced lunch for the 2024-2025 school year.
    • July 17- First day of school.
    • August 26- Eligibility from 2023-2024 school year EXPIRES. Please re-apply for the 2024-2025 school year.

     

    CUSD Nutrition recommends completing free and reduced applications online by going to MySchoolApps in order to reduce processing and notification times. 
    To request a paper application, please contact your school or email nutrition@cusd80.com 
    Return completed paper applications to:

    Enriqueta Quintero
    555 S Pennington Dr.
    Chandler AZ 85224
    (Please allow 10 days for processing paper applications)  

     

    If you need further assistance, please contact:  

    Enriqueta Quintero 

    Free and Reduced Program/Account Technician 

    480-812-7261 

    Chandler Unified School District Food & Nutrition 

    Part of a Balanced Education 

    Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

    La informacion sobre el programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas que no sean el ingles. Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios alternos de comunicacion para obtener la informacion del programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de senas americano (ASL), etc.) deben comunicarse con la agencia local o estatal responsable de administrar el programa o con el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comuniquese con el USDA a traves del Servicio Federal de Retransmission al (800) 877-8339.

     

     

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    • Breakfast entrées with up to two fruit sides and milk 
    • Lunch entrées, with up to two fruit sides, two vegetable sides and milk 
    • Two waivers for SAT fees 
    • Four additional SAT score reports 
    • SAT online course, discount $40.00 
    • Two waivers for ACT fees 
    • Four college application waivers 

    A la carte items (packaged food products sold separately from the meal) are excluded. 

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Child Tax Credit

  • There’s still time to claim the Child Tax Credit. Families can get up to $3,600 for each child. Most families are eligible for this credit, even if they don’t usually file taxes.

    Families can claim their child tax credit by going to  www.getCTC.org/az

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