Central New York Schools With Free Meals For Every Student

Free School Meals Returning For Students Across Central New York

One less thing for families to worry about when the new school year begins — making sure students have access to breakfast and lunch.

The Oneida-Herkimer-Madison (OHM) BOCES School Food Service has announced that meals will once again be served at no charge for all students during the 2026-2027 school year.

The free meals are made possible through the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program Community Eligibility Provision, also known as CEP. The program means families don’t have to fill out individual meal applications, and schools have less paperwork to handle.

Students can simply show up and enjoy breakfast and lunch at no cost.

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Which Schools Are Included?

The free meal program will be available at several Central New York districts and school buildings throughout the area, including:

• Brookfield Central School District
• Clinton Central School District
• Frankfort-Schuyler Central School District
• Herkimer Central School District
• New Hartford Central School District
• New York Mills Union Free School District
• OHM BOCES Middle Settlement Ave and Lincoln Ave locations
• Oriskany Central School District
• Owen D. Young Central School District
• Poland Central School District
• Remsen Central School District
• Richfield Springs Central School District
• Sauquoit Valley Central School District
• Waterville Central School District
• Westmoreland Central School District

For many families, school meals are an important part of the day, and OHM BOCES says continuing this program helps make sure every student has access to nutritious meals while also making things a little easier for parents and school staff.

So when students head back to class for the 2026-2027 school year, breakfast and lunch will already be taken care of. That school supply list is another story.