Free & Reduced Information

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Financial Assistance

 

Free & Reduced Price Meals

All families who wish to apply for free or reduced meals with the Olympia School District are encouraged to fill out an application at any time during the school year. Students with an approved free/reduced-price meal application on file from the 2023-24 school year in OSD will continue to be covered under that application through October 16, 2024. To continue receiving free/reduced-price meals beyond October 16, families need to submit a new application.

  

Apply Online - Update: 8/25/24 Temporarily Unavailable

The 2024-25 online Skyward application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals is currently disabled due to mandatory formatting updates being implemented by OSPI. If you feel your income is at or below the thresholds in the Income Guidelines document please complete and return it to our Child Nutrition Services Department along with the Eligibility and Education Benefit Application located below.

Once your application has been processed, you will receive an email and your eligibility will be updated.

  

Applications also available in schools and on district website

Applications are available at all schools and available to download on the Child Nutrition Services webpage on the Olympia School District website. Paper applications can be obtained at each school or downloaded below. Applications can be returned to your students school office, cafeteria, or completed electronically and emailed to [email protected] or mail to: OSD Child Nutrition Department, 1302 North Street, Olympia, WA 98506.

 

Once an application is completed, it can be submitted to a student's school office or mailed directly to the Child Nutrition Services Office for processing. Child Nutrition Services is located at 1302 North St. S.E., Olympia, WA 98501.

 

When completing an application remember that only one application is needed per household. Applications that are incomplete cannot be processed. The Child Nutrition office will notify every household that submits an application whether they are or are not eligible for financial assistance.

 

Consent to Share

If your student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals you may be eligible for reduced or waived fees for other programs at your school or in the district. Please complete the Consent to Share form (linked below) along with your free or reduced-price application (Garfield ES, Hansen ES, LP Brown ES, Madison ES, McLane ES, Roosevelt ES and Jefferson MS) and return to your child's school. These forms are necessary to ensure students' free and reduced status can be shared with those administering fees for participation in extracurricular activities and other school and/or district programs. This form along with the free and reduced-price meal application and/or family income survey will need to be completed every school year.


Click on the link(s) below for a copy of this school year's Free & Reduced (F&R) application.  Please download the application to your computer, then open it and it will print correctly.



The USDA Website has free and reduced-priced meal applications in 33 different languages.

 

School with Free Meals

Thanks to funding from state and national school nutrition programs, schools listed below will offer free breakfast and lunch to all students in the 2024-25 school year!

 

  • Garfield Elementary

  • Hansen Elementary

  • L.P. Brown Elementary

  • Madison Elementary

  • McLane Elementary

  • Roosevelt Elementary

  •  Jefferson Middle School


All families at these schools will need to complete the Consent to Share Program Eligibility and Child Nutrition Free & Reduced Meal Application. This application can also help families qualify for additional benefits like access to free and reduced-priced activities, athletics, field trips and future college-bound scholarships.  

 

Important notes:

 

  • A free and reduced-price meal application is required for any sibling of a student who attends a school other than Garfield Elementary, Hansen Elementary, LP Brown Elementary, Madison Elementary, McLane Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary and Jefferson Middle School.

  • If your child moves to a non-free meal school, you will need to fill out a new free and reduced-price meal application for eligibility.

 

Learn more from the US Department of Agriculture:

 

 

 

What must be on the application:

The information that is required to complete the application form varies depending on your household situation. Review the three household categories below to determine how your family must complete the application. Each of the categories includes a list of the specific information that must be provided for the application form to be valid and an example of how the form should be filled out for each household category.
 

Instructions for households not getting any assistance:

 

  • Student name(s)

  • Names of all household members

  • Income by source for all household members

  • Adult household member's signature

  • Last 4 digits of social security number of the adult household member who signs the application (or if the adult signing does not have a social security number, check the associated box).

  • Complete parts 1, 3, 4 and 5.  Parts 6 and 7 are optional.

 

Instructions for a family getting Basic Food, TANF, or FDPIR:

 

  • List all student names

  • Enter a case number

  • Adult household member's signature

  • Complete parts 1, 2, 4 and 5. Parts 6 and 7 are optional

     

Instructions for households with only foster child(ren)

 

  • Student's name

  • Adult household member's signature

  • Complete parts 1 and 5.  Parts 6 and 7 are optional

  • You may also send the school a copy of the court documentation showing the foster child(ren) was placed with you instead of filling out an application form

     

Instructions for households with a foster child(ren) and other children

 

  • Apply as a household and include foster children

  • Follow the instructions for households not getting any assistance, and include the foster child's personal use income

 

 

Additional Information

 

Proof of Eligibility

The information you provide may be verified at any time. You may be asked to send information to prove your student is eligible to receive free and reduced-price meals.

Hearing on Decision

If you do not agree with the decision on your student's application or the process used to prove income eligibility, you may talk with Paul Flock, the fair hearing official. You have the right to a fair hearing which may be arranged by calling the Director of Child Nutrition Services, 1302 North St SE, Olympia, WA 98501, Telephone (360) 596-7007.

Reapplying for Benefits

You may apply for benefits any time during the school year. If you should have a decrease in household income, an increase in household size, or become unemployed, or receive basic food, FDPIR or TANF, you may be eligible for benefits and may fill out an application at that time.

 

 

Other Benefits

If your student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, discounted or free school services may also be available. Ask your school for more information about benefits available at your school as benefits vary from school to school. Benefits may include:

  • Advanced Placement Tests

  • Running Start Books

  • Athletic Fees

  • Associated Student Body Fees

  • Event Fees

  • Pre-College Exams (PSAT/SAT/ACT)

  • College Application Fees

  • Field Trips

  • Medical, Dental and Vision

  • College Bound Scholarship: College-bound Scholarship, a commitment of financial aid at over 65 colleges, universities, and technical schools in Washington for students who enroll in middle school and keep the pledge regarding grades and school behavior through graduation.