Graham ISD is encouraging families to apply for the district’s free and reduced-price meal program ahead of the 2026-27 school year.
(File Photo)
With the 2026-27 school year around the corner, the Graham Independent School District is encouraging families to apply for the free and reduced lunch program. For Cafeteria Director Jodi Arispe, the program is a resource that offers more than free food.
“This program drives other things — it helps students with their laptop charges, it helps them with their testing charges,” Arispe said. “This program drives other programs, so it’s important.”
Applications for Graham ISD’s free and reduced lunch program are available online and in person. High school and junior high students generally must reapply each year, though students who qualified last year have a 30-day grace period at the beginning of the school year. Arispe said applications are typically processed the same day they are received.
According to the cafeteria director, approximately 550 students are pre-qualified for the free and reduced lunch program and 60% of Graham ISD students qualified last year. She said that many parents express concerns about applying for the program or don’t apply at all due to stigma and misconceptions.
“Believe it or not, a lot of us don’t realize that this may be the only meal these kids get,” Arispe said. “They come in and they all can get free breakfast, but sometimes they’re not eating supper and they’re hungry.
“It’s really a great program for families — especially if they need it.”
The financial information used to determine eligibility, Arispe explained, is entirely confidential. Additionally, cafeteria staff do not identify students as free or reduced lunch recipients to their peers or teachers.
Arispe said that many families don’t fill out the application because they assume they won’t qualify, or believe the application doesn’t matter because their student doesn’t eat cafeteria food. However, the applications also help the district document the number of economically disadvantaged students, which can influence eligibility for certain state and federal funding, grants and educational programs, the cafeteria director said. Arispe said those applications also help recover federal funding for the district’s food service program, which operates at a deficit each year.
Free and reduced lunch program applications can be submitted at any time and even if students owe money in lunch fees, they will still be fed.
Families may submit applications at any time during the school year, including if their financial circumstances change. As the academic year approaches, Arispe encouraged parents to apply even if they are unsure whether they qualify — noting that the worst outcome is simply receiving a notice that they are ineligible.
“It’s beneficial to the family, it’s beneficial to the children and it’s beneficial to the school,” she said.