Reduced and Free Meal Guidelines

Reduced and Free Meal guidelines and forms (PDF)

District 203 offers free and reduced-price school meals and milk to those students who qualify under the National and Illinois Free School Lunch and Milk Programs.

Children from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible for the programs (please see application for details). Meals will meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements. Substitutions may be authorized if prescribed by a physician. The reduced price lunch costs 40 cents for the regular meal (which is $2.05 at the elementary and junior high level and $2.15 at the high school level). The meal includes milk. Milk may also be purchased alone for a reduced price of 25 cents.

Application forms are also available at each of District 203's 21 schools. Qualifying households should answer all applicable questions on the form. If a family currently receives food stamps or “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families” (TANF), only the children’s names and food stamp or TANF case numbers are required, along with the signature of the head of household.

Other households that meet the qualifying income guidelines must provide the following:  1) names of all household members; 2) the signature of an adult household member and the social security number of that adult (or the word “none,” if the adult does not have a social security number); 3) the amount of income each household member received last month and where it comes from (wages, child support, etc.).

Foster children are eligible for free meals/milk regardless of household income. Households may apply for benefits at any time during the school year when they become eligible. Questions may be addressed to the District 203 Business Office at 630-420-6300.

Sack lunches are available for elementary children who qualify for a free lunch and attend an elementary school where hot lunches are not served. Hot lunches are currently served at Beebe, Kingsley, Naper and River Woods elementary schools.