Food and Nutrition Services, 5260 Geiger Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80915
or applications may be submitted to the Cafeteria Manager at your student's school.

Free and Reduced Parent Information Letter-English

Free and Reduced Parent Information Letter-Spanish

Free and Reduced FAQs

May I complete an application for Free and Reduced-price meals by phone, fax, or on-line?

How do I apply for Free/Reduced-Price meal benefits for my children?

To receive meal benefits you must complete a Free/Reduced-Price meal application.  We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so please be sure to fill out all required information.

Completed applications must contain:

• Student(s) Name(s)
• The last 4-digits of the signing household member’s social security number OR check the box indicating "I do not have a Social Security Number"
• If a SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) application, name of person receiving SNAP and the 7-digit alpha-numeric household case number
• If an income application, total household gross income or check the box indicating "No income" for every household member
• Adult Signature

Why do I have to reapply each year?

Federal regulation requires that we have a new application on file each school year.

30-Day Carryover from Prior-Year

Students who were on free and reduced meal status at the end of the previous school year will “carry-over”

Their prior year’s eligibility status for the first 30 days of school or until a new application is received. This allows for student’s nutritional needs while parents are in the process of reapplying.

Why should I keep the Eligibility Status Letter?

Some programs within District 11 as well as out of the district may reduce fees if you can show proof that your child qualifies for free or reduced price meals. A student's school meal eligibility status will not be released for any other purpose unless a parent or guardian has consented in writing using the official District 11 Information Release form located on this page. 

Why was my application selected for verification?

Federal guidelines require us to conduct income verification of at least 3% of all applications on file each year.  Applications are randomly selected for verification by our computer system.  Within a specified time period, parents/guardians must provide adequate documentation to verify income or information from the application they submitted. If the adequate documentation is not provided, the student could lose free or reduced-price meal benefits.

Why did my student's free/reduced status at the beginning of the year change to full paid status?

The following are some scenarios why you might have changed to a full paid status:

• Federal guidelines require a new application every school year.  If you do not complete a new application within 30 student contact days from the first day of school, your children will automatically change to full paid status.
• Federal guidelines require a random verification of information on applications once a year.  If you do not submit the required documentation within the verification time frame, your student(s) will change to full paid status.

 How do I know what my student's  meal status will be?

Once your application has been processed, we will send you a notification letter stating what your student's  meal status will be.  Please keep this letter for your records. The letter will be sent home through the school in your student's backpack for all households with students in an elementary so please be sure to check your student’s backpack regularly. Households with students in Middle and High school level only will receive their letters by mail and in some cases by email, so please be sure to keep you street address and email address current and up-to-date at your student’s school.

What happens if I do not return the application?

Your household will be required to pay the full price for any meal your child purchases at school or you can provide a lunch from home.