(OR35-03-24) Characteristics Associated With School Participation in the Community Eligibility Provision: 2014-2020

Objectives: The objective of this research is to assess the association of school characteristics with participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal universal free school meals policy, and how these associations changed over time.

Methods: Our analysis included all US public schools eligible for CEP between 2014-2020. Eligibility is determined by an identified student percentage (ISP) of at least 40%. ISP represents the percentage of students automatically enrolled in free meals through a means-tested safety net program. Data came from the National Center for Education Statistics, state departments of education, and the Robert Graham Center. Independent variables included school level, ISP, percent Black, Hispanic, and White students, school size, district size, rurality, neighborhood deprivation, Medicaid expansion, and region. We used generalized estimating equations logistic regression models to assess adjusted associations and change in associations over time with CEP participation.

Results: Nationwide, 53,391 schools were eligible for CEP between 2014-2020. In mutually adjusted models, CEP participation was higher among elementary versus high schools (OR=1.36, 95% CI: 1.30, 1.43), large versus small schools (OR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.26), schools with ISP 70-80% (OR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.89, 2.02) and 80-90% (OR=2.11, 95% CI: 2.01, 2.21) versus 40-50%, and in rural versus suburban schools (OR=1.93, 95% CI: 1.83, 2.05). Participation was higher in schools in large versus small districts (OR=1.50, 95% CI: 1.42, 1.57), in Medicaid expansion versus non-expansion states (OR=1.58, 95% CI: 1.51, 1.65), and in the Southeastern (OR=2.45, 95% CI: 2.27, 2.64) and Northeastern (OR=1.77, 95% CI: 1.64, 1.91) versus Western US. The pace of CEP adoption was higher among large versus small schools and districts, schools with ISP 50-60% versus 40-50%, schools with higher versus lower percent Black students, and in the Northeast versus West.

Conclusions: Between 2014-2020, trends indicate barriers to CEP participation among schools with ISP below 50%, small schools and districts, suburban schools, and schools in non-Medicaid expansion and Western states. Addressing these barriers will be critical to increase CEP adoption.

Funding Sources: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health