Students to receive free meals in 2025-26
Anderson County Schools and Oak Ridge Schools will continue providing free breakfast and lunch to all students during the 2025-26 academic year.
“One thing that I’m passionate about is every student needs to eat free,” Anderson County Schools Director Tim Parrott said during the Board of Education meeting Aug. 14. “We don’t need to mess with that.”
Anderson County Schools participating in the program include Anderson County High School, Clinton High School, Anderson County Career and Technical Center, Anderson County Innovation Academy, Clinch River Community School, Lake City Middle School, Norris Middle School, Norwood Middle School, Clinton Middle School, Andersonville Elementary School, Briceville Elementary School, Claxton Elementary School, Dutch Valley Elementary School, Fairview Elementary School, Grand Oaks Elementary School, Lake City Elementary School, Norris Elementary School, Norwood Elementary School and Anderson County Head Start.
Oak Ridge Schools will also continue in the program, which covers all city schools.
Both systems are part of the Community Eligibility Provision, a USDA initiative under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The provision allows schools to serve free meals to all students without requiring applications or fees.
“Benefits of CEP include nutritious meals at no cost for every child, less time in line, more time to eat and learn (and) greater focus on preparing healthy, enjoyable meals,” Anderson County Schools communications director Ryan Sutton said. “At Anderson County Schools, we believe that children need healthy meals to learn. We encourage all students to participate.”
Clinton City Schools
Clinton City Schools are not part of the CEP program. The district includes Clinton, North Clinton, and South Clinton elementary schools.
Some students in the city system may still qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Applications are available at the Central Office, 212 North Hicks St. Parents are encouraged to apply even if their children were not eligible in previous years.
Breakfast costs $2.10 and lunch is $3.20 for students who do not qualify for assistance. Reduced prices are 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch.
