HUMBOLDT — Students in the Humboldt USD 258 school district will continue receiving free breakfast and lunch for the 2025–2026 school year, a program that has already made a significant impact on student nutrition, participation, and access to nutritious foods, says Superintendent Amber Wheeler.
According to Wheeler, the district has been offering free meals to all students for over a year. “Every single student, regardless of income, gets free breakfast and lunch,” Wheeler said. “It’s been really good for all of our kids.”
The program is called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and is offered through the USDA for schools in low-income areas to provide breakfast and lunch at no cost to students. Schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs. The program considers the number of students who receive government assistance such as free and reduced meals, Medicaid, food stamps, and the number of foster children in the district.
ONE KEY element that has come with the district’s free meals program is the implementation of a “second-chance” breakfast at the middle and high school levels. Traditionally, few students were arriving early enough to eat breakfast before classes began. “Either they’re not hungry that early, or they don’t want to get to school early just to eat,” Wheeler explained.
To address this, the district created a second window for breakfast service later in the morning. Students can grab a bagged breakfast and eat it on their way to or during class. This change has significantly increased breakfast participation, says Wheeler, and ensures that more students are starting their day with the nutrition they need.
The food service program, led by new director Tara Stewart, has also focused on student preferences. Stewart has worked closely with students to incorporate more appealing options while still meeting nutritional requirements. For example, when some middle and high schoolers said they would rather eat a salad, Stewart modified the offerings to include fully compliant and satisfying salad meals.
“Free meals for everybody has also allowed us to do some special things,” added Wheeler. “Twice a week, students at the middle and high school get to enjoy ice cream through the district’s a la carte offerings.”
At the elementary level, the district continues its fruit and vegetable program, exposing youngsters to a wide range of fresh produce and helping them build healthy eating habits early.
WHEELER NOTED that offering free meals reduces the burden on families, especially those who may fall just outside income eligibility thresholds. “It adds up fast if you have two or three kids,” she said. “Now, families aren’t having to choose between paying for lunch or sending a sack lunch that may not be enough.”
However, the success of the free meals program depends in part on continued state funding, which is tied to household economic data. That’s why the district is urging families to complete home economic surveys.
“The only real challenge with free meals is that we still rely on those forms for other types of funding,” Wheeler explained. “The state uses that data to allocate at-risk dollars, which support things like smaller class sizes and extra instructional support. If families don’t fill out the forms, we could lose critical funding — even if every student still gets a meal.”
Looking ahead, Wheeler says the district will be ramping up efforts to ensure families complete the required surveys to preserve these essential programs.
“This is a great program that has opened doors for so many of our kids,” Wheeler said. “We just want to make sure we can keep it going for years to come.”
For more information or to complete the home economic survey, families can visit the USD 258 website at www.usd258.net or contact the district office at 620-473-3121.
