Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL)

Collecting and coding data for FRL has always been a source of confusion. Rightly so, it is very difficult to understand. The biggest confusion is about the data being collected through meal applications and date collected through the Household Income Survey during registration and the ASU time period. 

How Does a Parent or Guardian Apply for FRL? Where is this Data Collected and How?

Cafe Enterprise FRL data is collected through meal applications. BSD uses "MySchoolApps" and a link is provided at the end of the registration forms (both new and PreK to K) and at the end of the Annual Student Update. This determines if a student will get free or reduced lunch.

Where is the BSD FRL Data Stored?

FRL data is stored in the Cafe Enterprise system that Food Service uses. This is an entirely different metric than the income data collected on the Household Income Survey. PowerSchool does not store FRL data. PowerSchool stores data from the Household Income Survey.

Federal Annual Adjustments to Income Eligibility Guidelines:

The one common item between the two is that they share the same income ranges to determine the eligibility classification.

On a nightly basis, PowerSchool sends demographic data to Cafe. This includes data such as new students, gender, IEP, EL, etc.

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