Free or Reduced Lunch

• More than one-quarter of Minnesota school children and more than one-third of those in Wisconsin are eligible for free or reduced priced lunches at their schools because of their families’ low income levels.
• Substantially lower proportions of students in Chisago, Washington, Pierce and St. Croix Counties are eligible for free or reduced price lunches than their respective states.
• Compared to the Wisconsin average, a slightly lower proportion of Polk County students and a similar proportion of Burnett County students are eligible for free or reduced school lunches.

• Although the national economy was slowly improving over the 2010-2019 period, the proportion of Wisconsin students eligible for free or reduced price lunches remained steady.
• The percentage of Pierce and St. Croix Counties eligible for free or reduced school lunches has consistently been about one-third lower than the state average, Polk’s percentage has been slightly lower and Burnett’s consistently higher than the Wisconsin average.

• About 30% of Minnesota students have been eligible for free or reduced priced school lunches over the 2010 – 2019 time period.
• In both Chisago and Washington Counties the proportions of students qualifying for free or reduced price lunches have been about one-third lower than the state average.
• Though similar, the proportion of students qualifying for free or reduced price lunches has been slightly lower in all years in Washington County than in Chisago County.

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