A family of four earning $42,900 or less per year now qualifies for free school meals in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Reduced-price meals are available at household incomes up to $61,050.

Applications opened Wednesday, July 1, for the 2026-2027 school year under updated federal income guidelines, according to an SMMUSD press release issued Monday, June 30. The programs cover breakfast, lunch, and afterschool snacks at all district schools.

Families already receiving CalFresh, CalWORKs, or FDPIR benefits do not need to apply. Those households will receive a notification letter confirming automatic eligibility. Children classified as foster, homeless, migrant, or runaway also qualify automatically.

Everyone else can submit one application per household covering all children. Applications are available online at linqconnect.com or on paper at the Food & Nutrition Services office, 1717 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401. The application requires the last four digits of one adult's Social Security number if income is listed.

Richard Marchini, SMMUSD's director of Food and Nutrition Services, oversees the program. Families needing help with the application can call 310-450-8338, ext. 70228.

Income thresholds scale by household size. A single-person household qualifies for free meals at $20,748 per year and reduced-price at $29,526. For a family of eight, the thresholds are $72,436 and $103,082, respectively.

There is no hard deadline. Families can apply at any point during the school year if their income drops, household size increases, or they begin receiving CalFresh or CalWORKs. Eligibility from the 2025-2026 school year carries over for the first 30 school days of the new year.

The 2026-2027 school year is scheduled to begin Thursday, August 20, according to published district calendars. Families who apply before then will have eligibility confirmed in time for the first day of classes.