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Resource | Research and Data Child Nutrition Tables

Child nutrition program data.

12/23/2025
Resource | Research and Data Child Nutrition Program Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic - July 2021 through September 2022

This data collection fulfills states' reporting requirements and describes trends in program participation during the COVID-19 pandemic from July 2021 through September 2022. It is part of an ongoing study series examining child nutrition program operations, repurposed to collect waiver usage and trends in program participation and operations during the pandemic.

03/18/2025
Data Visualization
FNS Program Participation Dashboard

The program participation dashboard is an interactive tool that provides FNS nutrition program data, including participation and meals served, at the state, territory, and national levels. 
 

06/14/2024
Resource | Federal Register Notices Final Rule - Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 DGAs

This rulemaking finalizes long-term school nutrition requirements based on the goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, robust stakeholder input, and lessons learned from prior rulemakings.

04/25/2024
Data Visualization
Child Nutrition Dashboard

The goal of the dashboard is to provide national and state level visualization of meals served, participation, and funding data for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program. The dashboard can be used by federal, state, and local organizations to assess trends in child nutrition program activity.

02/14/2024
Resource | Federal Register Notices Final Rule: Child Nutrition Programs - CEP Increasing Options for Schools

This final rule amends the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) regulations by lowering the minimum identified student percentage (ISP) from 40 percent to 25 percent. 

09/26/2023
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study

This study is the first nationally representative, comprehensive assessment of the school meal programs since the updated nutrition standards for school meals were phased in beginning school year 2012-2013. A study methodology report that describes the study design, sampling and data collection and a summary report that provides a brief overview of the study and key findings from the various reports are also available.

10/19/2021
Resource | Final Rule Final Rule: Local School Wellness Policy Implementation Under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010; Approval of Information Collection Request

The final rule titled Local School Wellness Policy Implementation Under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was published on July 29, 2016. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) cleared the associated information collection requirements on Sept. 12, 2016. This document announces approval of the ICR.

01/09/2017
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations Direct Certification in the National School Lunch Program Report to Congress: State Implementation Progress, SY 2014-15

This report responds to the requirement of PL 110-246 to assess the effectiveness of state and local efforts to directly certify children for free school meals. Direct certification is a process conducted by the states and by local educational agencies to certify eligible children for free meals without the need for household applications. 

12/02/2016
Resource | Research and Data | Assessing/Improving Operations Second Access, Participation, Eligibility, and Certification Study (APEC II): Estimating and Validating Statistical Models for Updating Estimates of Improper Payments in NSLP and SBP

Statistical models were designed to estimate national improper payments due to certification error on an annual basis using district-level data. This enables FNS to update its estimates of national improper payment rates for the NSLP and SBP in future years without having to conduct full rounds of primary data collection.

11/29/2016
Page updated: October 14, 2021