• All children in households receiving benefits from MA SNAP, MA TAFDC, FDPIR, or specific categories of Medicaid are eligible for free meals.
• Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court are eligible for free meals.
• Children participating in their school’s Head Start program are eligible for free meals.
• Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant are eligible for free meals.
• Children may receive free or reduced price meals if your household’s income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. Your children may qualify for free or reduced price meals if your household income falls at or below the limits that are established annually.

Should you need assistance, you may apply for free and reduced meal benefits through the online application. The online application is easy to complete and is definitely the quickest and most efficient for you to confirm your eligibility and to enroll your student(s).

Please note that families can apply throughout the school year should their financial situation change. 

If determined eligible for free or reduced-price meals, the eligibility remains for the full school year and carries into the first 30 days of the next school year. 

Free and Reduced Meal Program Documents

Letter to Families (Free and Reduced Meal Program)

Letter to Families - Chinese (Free and Reduced Meal Program)

Letter to Families - Portugues (Free and Reduced Meal Program)

Letter to Families - Spanish (Free and Reduced Meal Program)

Directions - Free and Reduced Meal Application

Please only use if you cannot complete the online application.

Application - Free and Reduced Meal Program

Please only use if you cannot complete the online application.

"I Speak" Form

The free and reduced meal is exactly the same as the meal served to students who do not participate in the program.  Free and reduced price eligibility status is kept strictly confidential.

Please note, however, that second meals and a la carte items are not reduced and must be purchased at full price.

All students in the Newton Public Schools are given a meal account. You can access this account by setting up a login and password at MySchoolBucks.  You can view transactions for the past 90 days and current account balances.  As needed, you can add funds to your student’s meal account, which incurs a $2.00 convenience fee.

PreK and elementary students will use a card kept at the school and students in middle and high school will use a keypad to input a PIN number to charge their account.  The cashier is able to verify the person charging the meal is the right person with a student picture that is visible on the point-of-sale machine when the card is swiped or the PIN is entered.

Federal law prohibits schools from denying any child a meal. Therefore, staff will not ask your child if they have permission to purchase lunch or any a la carte items.

Because we are prohibited by law from denying a student a meal, we ask that you develop a plan with your student/s about the meals and items they may or may not purchase from the cafeteria, especially a la carte items.

Please review the Newton School Committee food service policy for specific information related to food service balances. The district is committed to providing meals to all students who choose to participate in the school lunch program and requires that parents/guardians and/or students satisfy all financial obligations to the lunch program in a timely manner.

If you wish to transfer funds and you are the account holder named on your students’ account, email Julie Athanasiadis and provide the names of your students and the dollar amount to be transferred. To request a refund, email Julie and provide the following information:

Student Name:

Parent Name:

Amount Request:

Mailing Address:

Contact phone number:

Please note that refunds take 3 – 4 weeks to arrive.