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Community Eligibility Provisions

Community Eligibility for Federal Meal Program

A majority of Cincinnati Public Schools qualify for Community Eligibility (CE), which means all students at their respective schools receive free meals.

What is CE — Community Eligibility?

Community Eligibility allows school districts in high-poverty areas to provide free meals for students in schools that qualify.

Application For Free and Reduced Lunch
Application For Free and Reduced Lunch (Spanish)

How are schools selected?

Schools are selected based on the percentage of directly certified students attending each school.

What is a "directly certified" (DC) student?

The United States Department of Agriculture approved the Ohio Department of Education to partner with the Ohio Office of Medicaid for the Direct Certification with Medicaid pilot project beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. Accordingly, 2023-2024 direct certification lists may contain students approved for free meals or reduced meals through Medicaid in addition to those certified through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Ohio Works First (OWF). Note that Medicaid free or reduced-price meal program approval is only through the direct certification process.