Free Reduced Priced Meals
Breakfast is provided to all students free of charge. Financial assistance is available for families who need help paying for school lunches.
Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunches must be established each school year. Eligibility from one school year is carried over for the first 30-days of the next year to allow time for families to be approved. If approval for the new school year has not been established by October 9, eligibility for the program ends, and parents are responsible for meal charges incurred.
Applications can be submitted or updated at any time during the school year if your household size or income changes.
Students approved for subsidized meals at another school district are not eligible in our district until an application has been received and approved by the SCASD.
If your family receives SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid benefits, you may be automatically approved (direct certified) for free school meals. If you are directed certified, you will receive a letter from us with this information, and you do not need to submit an application. Do contact us if you receive a direct certification letter for one or some of your children but not for all of them. If your children are not directly certified, you will need to submit an application for approval.
Families can apply for free or reduced-price school meals on-line. This can be done using the Department of Welfare's on-line resource, COMPASS. COMPASS allows Pennsylvanians to apply for social service programs, such as Food Stamps (FS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Energy Assistance, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), etc., online. Families can use COMPASS to apply for free or reduced-price school meals only, or they can apply for other services at the same time (FS, TANF, etc.).
You may also submit a paper application using the form linked below. Paper applications are also available at your child's school office or by calling the food service office at 814-231-5095.
If you apply for free or reduced price school meals through COMPASS, please do not submit a paper application.
Students can receive one full breakfast and one full lunch per day free of charge. A "full meal" includes the entree, vegetable and fruit side dishes, and milk. Students may decline items that they do not want but must choose at least 3 food items, one of which must be a fruit or vegetable. If a child chooses less than a "full meal", he is charged the a la carte price for the item(s) selected. (For example, eligible students who take just a milk will be charged $.70.) Cafeteria staff will encourage children to choose a full meal.
Approval for free or reduced-price school meals is also used to qualify for free or discounted Chromebook insurance, Centre Region Parks and Recreation pool passes and scholarships, and Internet Services.
If your total household income is the same or less than the amounts indicated below, your child may be eligible to receive free or reduced-priced meals. (The reduced price for school meals has been set at $0 for the coming school year. Reduced eligible families will receive meals free of charge.)
Family Size
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
For Each Additional Family Member
Monthly Income
$2,322
$3,152
$3,981
$4,810
$5,640
$6,469
$7,299
$8,128
+$830
Annual Income
$27,861
$37,814
$47,767
$57,720
$67,673
$77,626
$87,579
$97,532
+$9,953