Hundreds of students in San Antonio, Texas, will lose access to automatic free breakfasts and lunches for the 2026-2027 school year following stricter federal program rules. Parents at affected schools must now submit applications to determine if their children qualify for free or reduced-price meals, according to N+ Univision.
The changes stem from updated federal and state requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. Previously, schools participated in the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, which allowed campuses to serve free meals to all students without individual family income verification as long as a sufficient percentage of students received SNAP benefits.
New affiliation rules made SNAP registration more complex for local families, causing student participation rates to drop. Because fewer students are enrolled in the federal assistance program, several schools no longer meet the threshold required to offer universal free meal coverage under CEP.
School district impacts
The North East Independent School District, known as NEISD, has seen at least 30 of its schools lose CEP qualification for the upcoming academic year. Some schools within NEISD will still maintain free meal coverage under the program.
Parents in San Antonio must verify their school's status on the NEISD website prior to the start of the 2026-2027 school year. If a campus is no longer covered by CEP, families must complete an application form to request free or reduced-price meals for their children.
Districts retaining free meals
Five other school districts in the San Antonio area confirmed that all of their campuses will remain fully enrolled in the CEP program for the 2026-2027 school year. Students in these districts will continue to receive free breakfasts and lunches without needing to apply.
The districts maintaining full free meal coverage for all students are San Antonio ISD, North Side ISD, Southwest ISD, Edgewood ISD, and South Side ISD.
