Below is a historical view of Newton’s eligibility data in the Child Nutrition Program:
Number of Eligible Students
Percent of Eligible Students
Total Enrollment
Reporting Period
November 2019 (SY19-20) November 2020 (SY20-21) November 2021 (SY21-22) November 2022 (SY22-23) November 2023 (SY23-24) November 2024 (SY24-25)
12,833 12,104 12,085 11,951 11,841 11,709 11,524
1542 1866 2111 1750 1842 1851 1826
12.0% 15.4% 17.5% 14.6% 15.6% 15.8%
November 2025 (SY25-26) 15.8% Schools participating in the Child Nutrition Program receive reimbursement for each reimbursable meal served. The federal government (USDA) provides a set reimbursement rate per meal based on the student’s eligibility category (free, reduced-price, or paid). Schools submit monthly meal counts to the DESE, which administers the program at the state level and distributes the federal reimbursement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal waivers allowed all school meals to be served free of charge to all students, and districts were reimbursed at the free meal rate for every meal served. During the summers of 2020 and 2021, Newton Public Schools participated in a grab-and-go meal distribution model, allowing families to pick up meals while schools were closed. While the federal COVID waivers have since expired, Massachusetts now funds universal free school meals, allowing all students to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each day at no cost, which the state supplements to the federal free reimbursement rate. Beginning in summer 2024, Newton Public Schools provided lunch to students participating in Extended School Year (ESY) summer programs.
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