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Indicator: Participation in Free/Reduced-Price School Lunch Programs

Data and Data Discussion provided by Sustainable Seattle

FIgure 2: Free and Reduced Lunch Eligibility by Region, King County

Figure 1: Free and Reduced Lunch Eligibility, King County

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Upstream Indicators
  •   Living Wage --- Almost half of all jobs do not provide enough income for a family of 4 with 2 full-time wage earners. Because this indicator is measured differently than in previous years, it is difficult to make comparisons.  (view data graph)
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Downstream Indicators
  •   Diabetes Rate --- Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in King County, more than doubling during the past decade, with nearly 6 percent of county residents diagnosed as diabetic in 2006. Even more are unaware that they have the condition. Diabetes prevalence is likely to continue to increase as the percentage of obese in the population increases.   (view data graph)
  •   High School Graduation Rate --- 91.7 percent of King County residents aged 25 and older had a high school education or greater, while the on-time graduation rate for high school students in King County in 2005 was 76.5%. No statistically significant trends were observed in the preceding 5 years.   (view data graph)
  •   Low Birth Weight Rate --- The rate of low birth rates in King County increased significantly from 1999 to 2004. In 2004, 6.4 percent of infants born in King County were low birth weight or 1,455 infants. However, this increase was mainly due to an increase in the proportion of multiple births. There was no increase in low birth weight infants for singleton births.   (view data graph)
  •   Physical and Mental Health Restrictions --- The percentage of King County adults with severe activity limitation increased between 1998 and 2007. This local finding is consistent with national trends. This local increase corresponds to worsening trends nationally.  (view data graph)
  •   Prevalence of Overweight & Obese Adults --- The proportion of King County adults who are overweight and obese continues to climb. • The combined percent of overweight and obese adults has increased in each of the four regions of King County since 1994.  (view data graph)
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Related Goals

Sustainability Snapshot:

In 1946, President Truman signed the National School Lunch Program into law to reduce malnutrition, provide an outlet for agricultural commodity surpluses, and improve learning. Today, this program is a crucial element in states' efforts to mitigate the impacts of hunger on children. Participation has been shown to increase students' test scores, cognitive abilities, and memory. In Washington, recent investments in the program have been highly effective, helping to lift Washington's rank in food insecurity from second highest in the country to 30th. At the same time, the program is heavily dependent on subsidized food inputs leading to an overabundance of processed over fresh foods in school cafeterias.

Sustainability Trend:

The number of students eligible for the free and reduced lunch has increase over the past five years, particularly in the North and South regions of King County. Overall there has been an increase of around 2%.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Percent of students in King County who were eligible for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program for school years 2001/2002 through 2005/2006.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

To qualify for free school meals, a child's family can earn no more than 130 percent of the federal poverty level. 97 percent of the state's schools provide lunch.

Overall student eligibility for the Free and Reduced Lunch program has increased. (Figure 1) Particularly, the sub-regions of North and South King County have increased 3% and 7% respectively between 2002/2 and the 2005/6 school year. (Figure 2) The percent of students eligible in Seattle has decreased approximately 2% during the same time period.

Significantly, the South region and Seattle have significantly higher percentage of students eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch Program than the East and North sub-regions.

Data Source and Limitations

Data Source: Washington State OSPI and National Center for Education Statistics, compiled by Northwest Area Foundation.

The data do not reflect students who are eligible who do not apply.  

 

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