Fast Fact – Free and Reduced-Price Lunch

Written by: Sarah Hughes
Date Posted: September 28, 2012

In the 2011-2012 school year, 41 percent of all Colorado public school students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL). The number of Colorado children eligible for FRL has grown by 79 percent since the 2000-2001 school year. In order to qualify for FRL, a child must live in family with income below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, about $41,000 for a family of four. To find data on students eligible for FRL in your county or school district, please visit the KIDS COUNT Data Center.

Sarah Hughes

About Sarah Hughes

Sarah Hughes is Vice President of Research Initiatives for the Colorado Children’s Campaign. In this role, she leads the organization’s research and data analysis efforts, including the development and publication of the annual KIDS COUNT in Colorado! report, and provides research and data support to inform and advance the Children’s Campaign’s policy agenda. Prior to joining the Children’s Campaign, Sarah worked in communications and spent several years working and volunteering with kids in various capacities. She holds a Master of Social Work with a specialization in Advocacy, Leadership and Social Change from the University of Illinois and a B.S. in Business and Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis.