Houston ISD will require families at 33 campuses to apply for meal assistance starting in 2026-27 after removing those schools from a federal program that provided free meals to all students.
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Dozens of Houston ISD campuses will no longer provide free breakfast and lunch to all students beginning in the 2026-27 school year, district officials announced, requiring families to apply for meal assistance based on income.
The district said 33 schools will not participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, which allows these campuses to serve free meals to all students regardless of household income. Families at those campuses must instead complete a free and reduced-price meal application to determine eligibility for free, reduced-price, or paid meals.
HISD said most schools will continue participating in CEP, but the expanded list marks a significant shift affecting elementary, middle, and high school campuses across the district.
Campuses losing universal free meals include several high-performing and magnet schools such as Carnegie Vanguard High School, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, and Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts, along with neighborhood schools like West University Elementary, River Oaks Elementary, and Lamar High School.
District officials said some schools were already excluded from the program during the current school year, including Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts, Horn Elementary, Travis Elementary, Oak Forest Elementary, River Oaks Elementary, West University Elementary, and Roberts Elementary. The upcoming school year expands that list to more than 30 campuses.
Under CEP guidelines, schools qualify for universal free meals based on the percentage of students identified as economically disadvantaged. HISD did not specify why each campus was removed but indicated families must now verify income eligibility to continue receiving meal assistance.
“Families will need to complete” the application process, the district said, to determine whether students qualify for subsidized meals.
The affected campuses include:
Baker Montessori; Briarmeadow Charter School; Bush Elementary; Condit Elementary; Harvard Elementary; Helms Elementary; Horn Elementary; Kolter Elementary; Mandarin Immersion Magnet School; Oak Forest Elementary; Poe Elementary; River Oaks Elementary; Roberts Elementary; Sinclair Elementary; Travis Elementary; Twain Elementary; West University Elementary; Wharton Elementary; Hogg Middle School; Lanier Middle School; Pin Oak Middle School; TH Rogers Middle School; Bellaire High School; Carnegie Vanguard High School; Challenge High School; DeBakey High School for Health Professions; Energy Institute High School; Heights High School; Houston Academy for International Studies; Kinder High School for Performing and Visual Arts; Lamar High School; Waltrip High School; and Westside High School.
Families with questions can contact HISD’s Student Eligibility and Accountability Department for assistance.
The CEP program remains in place at most other district campuses, continuing to provide free meals districtwide for the majority of students.
