Free School Lunches Will Continue Until 2030 Amid SNAP Cuts, Other States Pull the Plug on Universal Meals

Thousands of New Mexico students will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch at school through at least 2030, the Albuquerque Journal reports, even as SNAP cuts have led large districts such as Miami-Dade, Houston and San Antonio to stop offering free meals to all students.

The protection comes through the federal Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, which lets schools in higher-poverty communities serve free meals to every student without household income applications. Eligibility depends largely on how many students are directly certified through programs such as SNAP, so when federal cuts and stricter work rules caused thousands of children to lose food assistance, schools’ eligibility and funding came under pressure. In New Mexico, around 10,060 children have lost SNAP coverage since July 2025.

The Public Education Department said schools will continue to receive their usual federal reimbursement rates, and district leaders worked to keep schools eligible before new federal rules could reduce meal funding. Albuquerque Public Schools renewed its CEP status in July 2026 and does not expect changes to its reimbursement rates.

The program began under New Mexico’s 2023 Healthy Universal School Meals law, making the state one of nine that serve free breakfast and lunch to all public school students. The state covers the remaining cost, which grew from roughly $206 million in the program’s early years to about $248 million. Officials estimate SNAP and Medicaid changes could lower direct certification by about 3%, or around 8,800 children, which could affect CEP eligibility at about 20 schools.

Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit the Albuquerque Journal’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.