All city public school kids will be eligible for free lunches this year regardless of their income, the Department of Education announced Wednesday.
Roughly 80 percent of city students — about 800,000 kids — were eligible for complimentary or reduced-price lunch last year, according to the DOE. The expanded program extends free lunches to all 1 million students.
Advocates have been pressing for an expansion of the program, arguing that even families that couldn’t qualify for free lunch struggled to pay the $1.75 daily cost.
Federal and state funds will cover the cost, a DOE spokeswoman said.