Free Meals

Gainesville ISD will continue to provide free meals for all students for the 2025-2026 school year.  GISD qualified for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, which will allow GISD to provide breakfast and lunch to all children at no charge.

The program will once again enable ALL students in GISD to receive free breakfast and lunch without the requirement for families to complete the National School Lunch Program free/reduced meal application.  However, districts in the CEP program are required to collect an income survey from all families.  The survey is now included during the registration process. This simple and concise form will provide valuable information that will assist GISD in qualifying for a multitude of grants from additional funding sources. The survey is collected via paper form when school begins.

Students Who Pack Lunch Get Additional Items from the Café for Free
Does your child pack a lunch, but you still want them to have a couple of additional healthier items? They can get them in the café for free! Many students who pack a lunch will still come in and get a fruit and vegetable to compliment the items they brought from home. This can also be a stress reliever for parents who want their kids to still have a well-balanced meal but may not have those items at home for kids to pack.

Minimum Requirement for Students to Receive for Free:
The student must take a minimum of 3 items of those 3 items, 1 of them must be a fruit or a vegetable.
Examples: 1 Carton of Milk, 1 Apple, 1 side of Celery or 1 Juice, 1 side of Celery, 1 Side of Broccoli

*A Child Nutrition Team Member will assist all students to make sure the correct items are taken.

The department follows Food Base Menu Planning. All meals must meet the Recommended Daily Allowance established by the USDA and the Texas Department of Agriculture. We research and evaluate every recipe in our menu to ensure they meet nutrition requirements measured by the following categories: Saturated Fat, Total Fat, Calories and Sodium. For further details on the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy please refer to the full policy at www.squaremeals.org.