More families reported financial struggle after losing free meals at school

More families struggled financially after the federal waiver that provided free meals for all students during the pandemic expired, a new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service reveals.

In 2020, the USDA issued a series of waivers, one of which allowed K-12 schools throughout the country to feed all kids for free. Schools returned to charging for meals after the waivers, which received several extensions, expired last June. 

Using data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, the USDA report shows a post-waiver increase in the share of households with kids age 5 to 17 reporting that it was somewhat or very difficult to pay for their expenses. 

The households reporting difficulty with covering expenses jumped from 37.7% during the period from Sept. 29 through Oct. 11, 2021—when the waiver was still active—to 49.1% during the timeframe of Oct. 5 to Oct. 17, 2022—after it had expired.

In addition, it appears that school meal participation among these households fell post-waiver. During the earlier period, 38.5% of the households that reported trouble paying for their expenses said their children participated in school meals. That percentage declined to 30.2% during the later timeframe.

The report also revealed that nearly one-third (31.6%) of households with children that paid for school meals said doing so made it difficult for them to cover other usual expenses (this was in mid-December 2022). Households with incomes below 225% of the federal poverty level and non-White households were hit the hardest. 

Despite the implied connection, the USDA notes that more research is needed to determine a causal relationship between the cost of school meals post-waiver and the financial hardship experienced by families, adding that rising inflation in 2022 may have put additional strain on American households.

In the wake of the pandemic, offering meals at no cost to all students has gained steam among lawmakers and other food industry leaders. Seven states, including Michigan, Maine and New Mexico, now offer free meals to all students daily, while others have active bills that would expand free meals for all if passed. 

See which states currently offer universal free meals via the map below: