What Katy ISD Families Need to Know About Free and Reduced Meals
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KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
July 24, 2026
By Natalie Cook Clark
Katy ISD has shared information on Free and Reduced Meals ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year starting. The district is increasing meal prices, but 33 campuses qualify for free meals.
Parents should understand Katy ISD’s policy for Free and Reduced Meals ahead of this new academic year especially since the District is raising meal prices.
“Of course, the Board doesn’t like having to approve price increases for anything—especially student meals,” says Board of Trustee Dawn Champagne. “There is some good news thought! We have 33 campuses that qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP,) which means every student at those campuses receives free breakfast and lunch, regardless of family income.”
Several sources, including the loss of two federal grants, resulted in a 21% increase in food prices over the last five years.
The increase is small. Breakfast for both primary and secondary school will go from $1.25 to $1.50. Primary school lunch will go from $2.25 to $2.75 and secondary lunch will go from $2.75 to $3.35.
Children living in households whose income is at or below the federally approved levels, based on household size, may be eligible for meal benefits. Transfer students approved for the program
from another school district may either complete a Katy ISD application or provide documentation of their eligibility status for that same school year. Foster children who are
the legal responsibility of a welfare agency or court may also be eligible for benefits regardless of the income of the household with whom they reside; an application must be submitted.
Households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) are also eligible. Children with status as homeless, runaway, migrant or displaced by a declared disaster also qualify for meals.
Thirty-Three Katy ISD campuses qualify for free meals through the CEP program.
These CEP Campuses Include:
Bear Creek Elementary
Bethke Elementary
Cimarron Elementary
Faldyn Elementary
Franz Elementary
Golbow Elementary
Hayes Elementary
Hutsell Elementary
King Elementary
Leonard Elementary
Mayde Creek Elementary
Memorial Parkway Elementary
McRoberts Elementary
Morton Ranch Elementary
Rhoads Elementary
Schmalz Elementary
Stephens Elementary
Sundown Elementary
West Memorial Elementary
Winborn Elementary
Wolfe Elementary
Youngblood Elementary
Cardiff Junior High
Katy Junior High
Haskett Junior High
Mayde Creek Junior High
Memorial Parkway Junior High
McDonald Junior High
Morton Ranch Junior High
West Memorial Junior High
The Katy ISD Nutrition and Food Service Department encourages families with students who do not attend a CEP Campus listed above to complete a meal benefits online application prior to the start of school to determine eligibility for free/reduced meals. The new online application can be submitted through an online application and will be available in the first week of August for the 2026-2027 school year.
The District is working with local agencies to identify children who are program eligible. If you receive a notification of approval the first days of school, then families don’t need to apply. However, anyone who feels they are eligible can apply and can reach other to Nutrition and Food Service Department at 281-396-6240.
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