Most schools in Bay County will serve every child free lunch and breakfast during the 2023-2024 school year, as part of a federally-funded program that assists low-income children.
Bay District Schools announced this week that 27 of its 42 schools will serve free meals to every student without requiring families to submit paperwork proving income.
Schools that qualify for federal funding to provide universal free meals "predominantly serve low-income children," whose parents or guardians may qualify for SNAP benefits and cash assistance, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' webpage on the National School Lunch Programexplains.
None of the district's charter schools serve enough low-income students to offer universal free meals.
And only one school in Panama City Beach, West Bay Elementary, is eligible to provide free meals to every student.
The bulk of the traditional schools eligible for the program are located across the Hathaway Bridge, to the east, in the county's inland communities.
Every K-12 school in Panama City, Lynn Haven and Callaway will serve free meals to all students, except for Tyndall Academy, which is located near Tyndall Air Force Base, and Mosley High School in Lynn Haven.
School starts on Aug. 10.
Here are the schools that the district has announced will serve free meals in the upcoming school year:
Elementary Schools
Callaway Elementary School
Cedar Grove Elementary School
Deane Bozeman School
Deer Point Elementary School
Hiland Park Elementary School
Lucille Moore Elementary School
Lynn Haven Elementary School
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary School
Northside Elementary School
Oscar Patterson Academy
Parker Elementary School
Southport Elementary School
Tommy Smith Elementary School
Waller Elementary School
West Bay Elementary School
Middle Schools
Deane Bozeman School
Jinks Middle School
Merritt Brown Middle School
Mowat Middle School
Rutherford Middle School
High Schools
Bay High School
Deane Bozeman School
Rosenwald High School
Rutherford High School
Special Purpose Schools
Margaret K. Lewis School at Millville
New Horizons Learning Center
St. Andrew School at Oakland Terrace
