Parents of Maricopa Unified School District students in need can apply for free breakfast and lunch at their respective schools, the district announced today. 

MUSD is participating in the “healthy” School Breakfast and Lunch program, and the National School Lunch Program, district officials said. 

Breakfast will be free for all students and lunch will cost $3.75. 

“Your child may qualify for free or reduced-price meals,” said MUSD spokesperson Mishell Terry. 

If a family qualifies for reduced-price but not free meals, the reduced-price meals “will be free for all students,” Terry explained. MUSD recently received funding from the state that covers the 40-cent price tag for the reduced-price meals this year, so the parents don’t have to pay for it. 

To apply for free meals, households can fill out an application and return it to the school unless the household has already received notification that their child or children are approved for free meals this school year. 

Only one application is required for all children in a household and the information on the application will only go toward determining eligibility and data verification, officials said. 

Families can apply for benefits at any time. Household size and income are used to determine eligibility. Due to inflation and the dollar’s lessened value over time, these criteria have changed significantly over the years. 

For example, a family of four this year qualifies for free lunch if it earns no more than $57,720 annually. In 2017, a family couldn’t qualify for free lunch if it earned more than $45,510. 

Contact [email protected] or 520-568-5100. 

Applications can also be found online here.