Lamar Consolidated ISD board of trustees approved a 10-cent increase in school lunch prices for the 2025-26 school year to comply with federal meal program regulations.
Chief Operating Officer Gregory Buchanan said without the increase, the district could risk losing federal reimbursements by unintentionally subsidizing full-paying students with funds meant for low-income families.
What’s changing?
The 10-cent price increase—which was approved at a May 20 board meeting—will affect students who do not qualify for free or reduced lunch prices, Buchanan said.
New costs for the 2025-26 school year include:
- $2.55 for Pre-K through 5th Grade
- $2.65 for 6th through 8th Grade
- $2.75 for 9th through 12th Grade
Why it's happening
Buchanan said the school meal program is mostly funded through the National School Lunch Program, which provides money for students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals due to their family’s income.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture mandates an annual evaluation to compare federal reimbursement rates with the amount of students who are paying out-of-pocket, Buchanan said.
If discrepancies are found—meaning full-paying students are being subsidized by federal funds—the district must adjust meal pricing to comply.
“[The USDA] wants to make sure that the federal government is paying for a free student [and] that those funds for a free student are not helping out a paying student's lunch,” Buchanan said.
District officials said in an email that while the current discrepancy is greater than the 10-cent increase, LCISD is in compliance with federal guidelines if administrators make efforts to address the difference.
Zooming out
A number of districts across the state also made adjustments to ensure compliance, including Lewisville, Comal, Frisco and Celina ISDs, Community Impact reported.
Digging deeper
The number of LCISD students who qualify for free and reduced lunch has increased from 18.3% in the 2020-21 school year to nearly 35% in the 2024-25 school year, according to the Texas Education Agency.
However, since its peak at 40.46% of students eligible for the programs in the 2022-23 school year, there has been a decrease in the amount of students at LCISD eligible for free and reduced lunch, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Next steps
The 10-cent hike will apply to all grade levels and takes effect at the start of the 2025-26 academic year in August, Buchanan said.
