LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has announced that the number of Michigan public schools serving free meals has increased by more than 100% since last school year.
In the 2022-23 school year, more than 1,600 schools were serving free meals. In the 2023-24 school year, more than 3,300 schools are participating.
According to MDE, every day more than 850,000 children choose to eat free lunch at school and over 474,000 children choose to eat free breakfast at school.
The Michigan School Meals program allows intermediate school districts and local education agencies—both traditional public school districts and public school academies—that participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture School Nutrition Programs to serve K-12 students one free breakfast and one free lunch daily.
The program is funded by the state, as it was approved by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer for fiscal year 2024.
The program is estimated to save families at least $850 annually.
So far this school year, participating schools are seeing an increase in meals served.
“We are excited to see that the greatest increases are in middle and high school student participation,” said Dr. Diane Golzynski, MDE deputy superintendent of finance and operations. “Many older students felt stigmatized if they were eligible for free meals and would not eat them. Now, all students eat for free, which ensures that all students have a positive experience getting a free breakfast and lunch.”
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