Downey Unified Provides Free Meals for All Its Students

Daily breakfast and lunch for ALL children, 18 years of age and younger. It’s on us!

Save yourself time prepping meals

Save money. Put a little bit of cash back in your wallet.

Support our workers. Your participation in the free meal program helps support our food service program and our workers for the 2023/24 school year.

How It Works

One free breakfast and one free lunch are covered daily for each DUSD student. Please note that any additional food or meals will be charged to their student account and will be expected to be paid at the end of the year.

Please do not think that your child accepting these free meals takes a meal away from someone who may need it more. Thanks to federal resources, there is more than enough to support all children in the community.

How are school meals beneficial to your child?

Provides a balanced meal

Students who participate in the school meal programs consume more milk, fruits, and vegetables, and have a better intake of nutrients than nonparticipants.

Better focus and retention

74% of kids say school meals help them focus and behave in the classroom.

Improved performance on tests

71% of kids say school meals help their grades.

Fewer disciplinary problems

48% of teachers noticed better disciplinary behavior when students have breakfast.

When kids attend classes hungry, they have a harder time paying attention and retaining information in class. Students who struggle with hunger are also likely to be sick more often and slower to recover from illness, leading to missed school days. Attendance is important. Research shows that students who attend class more regularly are 20% more likely to graduate from high school. Most importantly, proper nutrition during childhood can positively affect a child’s social behaviors and development. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain from participating in the school lunch program.

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