California’s school meals are free. Federal cuts could test that
The Trump administration’s cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could strain California’s universal school meals program and affect millions of students, according to a new report.
The Center for American Progress, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit policy research group, released a report last week warning that federal cuts to SNAP, Medicaid and SNAP-Ed could shift more financial pressure to California as the state works to sustain its universal school meals program.
Paige Shoemaker DeMio, an author of the report, said California students are generally more protected under its universal school meals program, and that they would likely continue receiving free meals in the short term. The longer-term concern is whether the state will have to cover more of the cost if federal support decreases.
“As the program gets more and more expensive, the state might have to reconsider if it’s within the budget for them to continue to operate a universal preschool meal program,” Shoemaker DeMio said.
When a family receives SNAP, a student can be automatically counted as eligible for federal school meal funding through direct certification. Those direct certification numbers help schools qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision, a federal program that allows enrolled schools to provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students who request them.
California spent about $1.8 billion in state funding on universal school meals in 2024-25, providing free meals to all public school students, along with additional $2.7 billion from federal funding, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
If federal cuts to SNAP, Medicaid and SNAP-Ed result in fewer students being counted for federal school meal funding, California could be left paying a larger share of the cost to keep its universal school meals program running, Shoemaker DeMio explained.
In California, more than 4.6 million public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the 2024-25 school year, according to the report. More than 3.6 million California students were individually eligible, including about 2.25 million who were directly certified through SNAP, Medicaid or other public benefits.
“The districts that will definitely be the most affected are actually districts where it’s a smaller percentage of students who are directly certified for preschool meals,” Shoemaker DeMio said, noting that schools near the 25% direct certification threshold are the most at risk.
Schools with high direct certification rates would have more cushion because many students would have to lose eligibility before federal meal funding is affected, she explained.
In Sacramento City Unified School District, more than 27,600 students, or 66% of the district, would qualify for free or reduced-price meals if the state did not have its universal meals program, district spokesperson Alexander Goldberg said.
The figure was 77.4% in Twin Rivers Unified, 56.7% in Natomas Unified, 52.2% in San Juan Unified, 51.9% in Elk Grove Unified and 36.4% in Folsom Cordova Unified, according to state data.
