Due to changes at the federal level, the Marysville School District will not qualify for Community Eligibility Provision funding to provide free school meals for all MSD students during the 2026-2027 school year.
This change is largely due to federal legislation approved by Congress in 2025, which restructured EBT benefits and reduced the percentage of qualifying families in our community.
What You Need to Know
Right now, we know that at least three of our schools will be returning to the “old” process in which students qualify for paid, free, or reduced-price meals on an individual basis by completing free and reduced lunch forms. Those schools are:
Cedarcrest Middle
Marysville Getchell High
Marysville Pilchuck High
That means students enrolled at those schools whose family incomes do not qualify them for free or reduced-price meals will need to pay for school meals or bring lunch from home.
Costs will be finalized and communicated over the summer. Currently, our staff estimate that a full-price lunch for students will cost between $4-5, with a reduced price of around $3-4. A full-price breakfast for students could cost $3-4 with a reduced price between $2-3. Milk only will likely cost around $0.75.
To be clear, students whose families have qualifying incomes will still receive free or reduced-price meals regardless of which school they attend. Some MSD schools will still qualify to provide free meals to all students in their buildings.
Our district is working to qualify as many of our schools as possible for universal free meals through state and federal programs. Information on which schools will be able to provide universal free meals will be finalized by OSPI over the summer, and we will update all MSD families as soon as those details are confirmed.
What You Can Do
Regardless of a school’s CEP status, all families should complete the district’s CNEEB Application (income eligibility form) to ensure that students whose family incomes qualify will continue to receive free or reduced-price meals. These forms also help the district access more academic funding support through Title 1 and the Learning Assistance Program.
Importantly, families who fill out the CNEEB Application form and have qualifying incomes can also waive school activity/ASB fees, access mobile hotspots for free, and receive other discounts on their utility bills and YMCA Memberships. Income eligibility forms are due at the district office by September 15.
Copies of the income eligibility forms will be mailed to all families in the fall, and are available on our Nutrition Services webpage HERE. You can also ask for a copy at any of our schools or the MSD Service Center, and return them to any of our schools or the MSD Service Center (located at 1049 State Ave beginning July 20) by the September 15 deadline.
Please note: the CEP change takes effect in Fall 2026, and our free summer meals program remains unchanged. We will continue to offer summer meals for free to anyone 18 years old and younger. This year, summer meals will be provided at Liberty Elementary School and Marysville Pilchuck High School from June 29 - July 31, Monday through Friday at 9-10 am and 12:15 - 1:15 pm.
What is the Community Eligibility Provision?
The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a federal program that allows the nation’s highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students, regardless of individual income status. Schools that adopt CEP are reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals.