Percentage of Students Eligible for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch
What does this measure?
This indicator tracks the percentage of students in school districts across Orange County, NY, who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch over multiple years. Eligibility for these programs is based on household income, making this data a useful proxy for assessing the level of economic disadvantage among students in each district. The table displays data from 2007 through 2024.
Summary Statement
In the 2023–2024 school year, 38% of students in Orange County school districts were eligible for free lunch, consistent with the previous year. In 2022-2023, rates varied significantly by district, with the highest in Kiryas Joel (79%), followed by Middletown (70%), and the lowest in Warwick Valley and Cornwall, with Warwick Valley as low as 17%. When it comes to those eligible for Reduced-Price Lunch, the average percentage decreased from 2007-2008 to the most recent years, 2023-2024, from 7% to 4%. While individual district percentages fluctuated, total percentages decreased. For example, Middletown had the highest percentage of reduced-price eligibility, as high as 18% in 2007-2008, and dropped to as low as 5% between 2022-2024. Many students moved from reduced-price eligibility to free lunch eligibility. In a major change for the 2025-2026 school year, New York State has implemented Universal Free School Meals, requiring all schools participating in the federal lunch and/or breakfast programs to provide meals at no cost to all students. This means that while federal income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced-price meals still exist and are used for calculating federal reimbursement, the practical impact for students in participating NYS schools is that all students receive free meals.
Sources
NYS Education Department School Report Card https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/County.do?year=2010&county=Orange
NYS Education Department School Report Card https://reportcards.nysed.gov/view.php?schdist=district&county=44&year=2012
https://data.nysed.gov/studenteducator.php?year=2024&instid=800000040518