2027 Farm to School Census Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Farm to School Census?
The Farm to School Census (Census) is a nationwide survey of all National School Lunch Program (NSLP) operators, collecting information about farm to school activities in their district. The Census provides national, state, and local level snapshots of farm to school efforts. The findings help FNA, state agencies, policymakers, schools, producers, advocates, and other partners understand the state of local foods and agricultural education in schools, including benefits, challenges, and contributions to local food systems, so that they can better target resources to farm to school initiation, expansion, and sustainability.
- Who participates in the Census?
The Census is a survey of all school food authorities (SFAs) that participate in NSLP (including public, charter, and private schools, plus residential child care institutions). Requests to complete this online survey will be sent to more than 18,000 SFAs in all 50 states and American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. SFAs will be asked to complete the survey, regardless of whether they participated in farm to school activities.
- When will the Census be conducted?
The Census is conducted every four years. USDA will conduct the next Census starting May 3, 2027, through June 30, 2027. The survey questions are focused on farm to school activities in school year 2026-27.
- What activities are considered “farm to school?”
The Census groups farm to school activities into four main categories:
- Serving local food items as part of school meals;
- Providing educational activities involving food, nutrition, and agriculture, including edible school gardens;
- Promoting local foods at school and in the community; and
- Other activities to source and procure local foods.
- What is considered “local?”
Federal regulations give SFAs the flexibility to establish their own definition of local when buying food for school meal programs. SFAs can set their definition of local based on the kind of food they are buying, the season, the number of vendors producing the food in an area, and other factors. Some SFAs use a specific geographic range (e.g., within 200 miles of the school) or a defined locality (e.g., a city, county, state, or region of the country). In the Census, SFAs are asked to use their own definition of local to answer questions.
- Does the Census include pre-kindergarten (pre-K) and afterschool programs?
Only SFAs participating in the NSLP may respond to the Census. Some, but not all, SFAs also participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals. The Census reports the percentage of those SFAs serving local foods in CACFP and CACFP At-Risk Afterschool. The Census also asks all SFAs whether they offer farm to school activities for pre-K students, as well as whether they host local food events as part of CACFP and CACFP At-Risk Afterschool programs.