The number of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch as a percentage of total K-12 enrollment. Students are eligible for free lunch if their family's income is at or below 130% of the federal poverty threshold and for reduced price lunch if income is 130-185% of that threshold.
This measure not only shows the proportion of low-income students and families in an area, it is also an indication of the potential challenges facing schools as they work to educate children who have fewer resources at home.
In 2018, 50% of students in Berks County were eligible for free or reduced price lunch, a 27 percentage point increase since 2000. In 2018, 46% of students in Pennsylvania were eligible for free or reduced price lunch, a 17 percentage point increase since 2000. Half of students in the U.S. were eligible in 2017, with a similar increase from 2000 as the state.
In 2018, eligibility for free or reduced price lunch varied widely among local school districts. The lowest proportions were in Boyertown (23%), Daniel Boone (25%), and Oley Valley (27%). The highest proportion was in Reading, at 93%, followed by Muhlenberg (54%) and Wilson (46%).
Berks rate was higher than surrounding counties, especially Chester (20%) and Montgomery (27%).
Data are from the National Center for Education Statistics. With the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the National School Lunch Program now includes a "Community Eligibility" provision allowing districts with at least 40% of students qualifying for free meals to serve free meals to all enrolled students.
There may be additional research available on this topic. Click on Reports and Resources to learn more.
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 34% | 34% | 37% | 37% | 36% | 37% | 42% | 41% | 41% | 44% | 46% | 48% | 50% | 51% | 52% | 50% | 52% | 52% | |
Pennsylvania | 29% | 28% | 28% | 29% | 28% | 28% | 31% | 30% | 31% | 33% | 38% | 39% | 40% | 41% | 44% | 46% | 47% | 43% | 46% |
Berks County | 23% | 22% | 24% | 26% | 24% | 24% | 30% | 29% | 33% | 35% | 40% | 41% | 42% | 43% | 46% | 49% | 51% | 49% | 50% |
Berks County Regions | |||||||||||||||||||
Central | |||||||||||||||||||
Northeast | |||||||||||||||||||
South | |||||||||||||||||||
Southeast | |||||||||||||||||||
West | |||||||||||||||||||
Reading city | |||||||||||||||||||
Berks County Peers | |||||||||||||||||||
Chester County | 11% | 11% | 11% | 11% | 11% | 10% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 19% | 21% | 23% | 26% | 27% | 23% | 21% | 19% | 20% |
Lancaster County | 21% | 21% | 22% | 22% | 21% | 21% | 27% | 27% | 28% | 30% | 33% | 35% | 36% | 39% | 40% | 45% | 47% | 46% | 46% |
Lebanon County | 20% | 20% | 21% | 21% | 20% | 21% | 26% | 25% | 28% | 29% | 33% | 33% | 36% | 39% | 42% | 42% | 48% | 46% | 47% |
Lehigh County | 26% | 29% | 25% | 29% | 26% | 28% | 34% | 36% | 38% | 39% | 37% | 44% | 42% | 43% | 46% | 41% | 44% | 49% | 51% |
Montgomery County | 12% | 11% | 11% | 11% | 10% | 10% | 12% | 13% | 13% | 15% | 18% | 19% | 21% | 22% | 24% | 27% | 25% | 27% | 27% |
Schuylkill County | 28% | 28% | 29% | 30% | 28% | 30% | 32% | 33% | 34% | 37% | 40% | 41% | 42% | 46% | 47% | 49% | 50% | 46% | 54% |
School Districts | |||||||||||||||||||
Muhlenberg School District | 12% | 12% | 14% | 16% | 14% | 15% | 20% | 21% | 26% | 31% | 37% | 40% | 44% | 45% | 50% | 48% | 53% | 55% | 54% |
Boyertown Area School District | 8% | 7% | 9% | 7% | 9% | 7% | 11% | 9% | 12% | 13% | 14% | 15% | 17% | 19% | 20% | 21% | 24% | 23% | 23% |
Governor Mifflin School District | 6% | 7% | 9% | 10% | 9% | 10% | 14% | 15% | 17% | 20% | 23% | 23% | 30% | 32% | 36% | 39% | 38% | 39% | 38% |
Twin Valley School District | 10% | 9% | 12% | 11% | 12% | 11% | 15% | 15% | 16% | 19% | 20% | 22% | 23% | 23% | 23% | 25% | 30% | 28% | 30% |
Reading School District | 65% | 62% | 64% | 67% | 63% | 64% | 76% | 70% | 78% | 80% | 92% | 91% | 90% | 89% | 94% | 100% | 100% | 96% | 93% |
Daniel Boone Area School District | 13% | 11% | 11% | 11% | 10% | 10% | 13% | 11% | 14% | 13% | 16% | 14% | 19% | 20% | 22% | 25% | 26% | 22% | 25% |
Oley Valley School District | 4% | 3% | 3% | 5% | 3% | 5% | 5% | 8% | 10% | 16% | 19% | 18% | 20% | 23% | 24% | 26% | 28% | 27% | |
Brandywine Heights Area School District | 9% | 8% | 8% | 11% | 8% | 11% | 9% | 5% | 8% | 10% | 18% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 23% | 25% | 28% | 29% | 31% |
Hamburg Area School District | 10% | 9% | 9% | 11% | 9% | 11% | 20% | 22% | 25% | 27% | 31% | 31% | 35% | 37% | 38% | 39% | 42% | 39% | 42% |
Antietam School District | 11% | 11% | 16% | 18% | 15% | 17% | 24% | 28% | 31% | 33% | 34% | 38% | 37% | 42% | 46% | 47% | 48% | 58% | 43% |
Wilson School District | 18% | 16% | 16% | 15% | 17% | 15% | 20% | 21% | 24% | 24% | 29% | 31% | 33% | 38% | 41% | 47% | 48% | 47% | 46% |
Exeter Township School District | 10% | 12% | 10% | 11% | 10% | 10% | 12% | 13% | 14% | 15% | 17% | 17% | 17% | 24% | 26% | 26% | 31% | 28% | 30% |
Schuylkill Valley School District | 7% | 7% | 10% | 11% | 10% | 11% | 16% | 16% | 21% | 22% | 18% | 19% | 19% | 21% | 20% | 24% | 29% | 32% | 32% |
Conrad Weiser Area School District | 11% | 11% | 8% | 13% | 8% | 12% | 16% | 18% | 19% | 24% | 24% | 25% | 28% | 30% | 34% | 33% | 29% | 34% | 34% |
Kutztown Area School District | 8% | 9% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 14% | 15% | 17% | 18% | 20% | 18% | 21% | 23% | 23% | 24% | 29% | 29% | 28% |
Wyomissing Area School District | 10% | 8% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 18% | 17% | 19% | 19% | 20% | 23% | 25% | 29% | 28% | 29% | 30% | 32% | 35% |
Fleetwood Area School District | 9% | 10% | 10% | 11% | 9% | 10% | 13% | 14% | 16% | 17% | 17% | 19% | 19% | 19% | 18% | 28% | 27% | 30% | 28% |
Tulpehocken Area School District | 13% | 14% | 15% | 16% | 16% | 16% | 20% | 23% | 28% | 29% | 29% | 31% | 34% | 37% | 39% | 38% | 40% | 37% | 36% |
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 15,931,431 | 16,049,203 | 17,636,026 | 17,827,742 | 17,474,477 | 18,054,322 | 20,627,585 | 20,219,495 | 20,209,129 | 21,676,852 | 22,706,052 | 23,544,479 | 24,291,646 | 25,226,250 | 25,596,274 | 25,397,451 | 25,900,186 | 26,113,604 | |
Pennsylvania | 521,009 | 510,121 | 517,587 | 528,011 | 511,940 | 516,075 | 574,951 | 556,645 | 560,384 | 591,250 | 662,900 | 686,641 | 696,531 | 720,937 | 756,241 | 786,304 | 802,045 | 747,349 | 795,337 |
Berks County | 14,471 | 13,974 | 15,740 | 15,858 | 15,034 | 16,036 | 20,473 | 20,314 | 22,318 | 23,633 | 26,930 | 27,443 | 28,397 | 28,727 | 30,445 | 32,146 | 33,101 | 31,868 | 32,873 |
Berks County Regions | |||||||||||||||||||
Central | |||||||||||||||||||
Northeast | |||||||||||||||||||
South | |||||||||||||||||||
Southeast | |||||||||||||||||||
West | |||||||||||||||||||
Reading city | |||||||||||||||||||
Berks County Peers | |||||||||||||||||||
Chester County | 6,977 | 7,202 | 7,188 | 7,925 | 7,570 | 7,472 | 8,993 | 9,303 | 9,444 | 9,869 | 15,444 | 17,684 | 20,569 | 23,184 | 24,384 | 18,870 | 17,063 | 15,158 | 16,327 |
Lancaster County | 14,196 | 14,646 | 14,759 | 15,539 | 14,496 | 14,800 | 18,708 | 19,048 | 19,235 | 20,494 | 22,220 | 23,437 | 24,244 | 26,461 | 26,824 | 30,020 | 31,327 | 30,820 | 30,885 |
Lebanon County | 3,622 | 3,559 | 3,752 | 3,878 | 3,752 | 3,878 | 4,951 | 4,952 | 5,186 | 5,564 | 6,128 | 6,249 | 6,712 | 7,428 | 7,876 | 8,092 | 9,207 | 8,819 | 9,262 |
Lehigh County | 11,530 | 13,338 | 11,753 | 14,297 | 12,986 | 14,297 | 17,640 | 19,956 | 20,208 | 20,779 | 20,284 | 24,463 | 22,186 | 22,392 | 24,271 | 21,672 | 23,014 | 26,494 | 27,674 |
Montgomery County | 11,381 | 11,108 | 11,212 | 11,435 | 11,230 | 11,233 | 13,531 | 14,257 | 14,984 | 16,058 | 19,033 | 20,724 | 22,618 | 24,651 | 26,594 | 29,514 | 29,876 | 30,966 | 31,207 |
Schuylkill County | 5,969 | 5,644 | 5,659 | 5,946 | 5,570 | 5,946 | 6,428 | 6,831 | 6,538 | 7,208 | 7,852 | 7,909 | 8,043 | 8,738 | 8,926 | 9,111 | 9,265 | 8,623 | 10,055 |
School Districts | |||||||||||||||||||
Muhlenberg School District | 346 | 357 | 422 | 470 | 422 | 470 | 647 | 686 | 887 | 1,064 | 1,288 | 1,418 | 1,568 | 1,576 | 1,741 | 1,718 | 1,892 | 2,023 | 2,036 |
Boyertown Area School District | 521 | 485 | 637 | 480 | 637 | 480 | 770 | 653 | 858 | 892 | 954 | 1,036 | 1,198 | 1,324 | 1,428 | 1,454 | 1,646 | 1,614 | 1,591 |
Governor Mifflin School District | 261 | 277 | 358 | 401 | 358 | 401 | 584 | 639 | 741 | 832 | 966 | 961 | 1,256 | 1,355 | 1,463 | 1,579 | 1,541 | 1,596 | 1,564 |
Twin Valley School District | 298 | 281 | 375 | 344 | 375 | 344 | 495 | 529 | 571 | 637 | 683 | 732 | 771 | 787 | 798 | 830 | 1,009 | 951 | 982 |
Reading School District | 10,069 | 9,561 | 10,753 | 10,846 | 10,421 | 10,846 | 13,266 | 12,525 | 13,647 | 14,244 | 16,361 | 16,484 | 16,254 | 15,605 | 16,196 | 17,153 | 17,208 | 16,779 | 16,523 |
Daniel Boone Area School District | 373 | 334 | 357 | 361 | 357 | 361 | 486 | 443 | 533 | 487 | 647 | 565 | 720 | 755 | 790 | 878 | 877 | 747 | 849 |
Oley Valley School District | 77 | 63 | 74 | 101 | 74 | 101 | 108 | 170 | 201 | 305 | 362 | 323 | 353 | 399 | 400 | 426 | 479 | 444 | |
Brandywine Heights Area School District | 182 | 162 | 164 | 210 | 164 | 210 | 167 | 104 | 146 | 172 | 318 | 336 | 322 | 305 | 360 | 369 | 412 | 415 | 425 |
Hamburg Area School District | 259 | 238 | 240 | 300 | 240 | 300 | 537 | 584 | 634 | 679 | 787 | 770 | 836 | 876 | 857 | 868 | 904 | 847 | 892 |
Antietam School District | 113 | 118 | 164 | 193 | 164 | 193 | 271 | 313 | 341 | 350 | 358 | 396 | 385 | 443 | 470 | 495 | 491 | 612 | 495 |
Wilson School District | 426 | 372 | 376 | 333 | 376 | 333 | 459 | 478 | 537 | 554 | 647 | 682 | 728 | 841 | 901 | 1,016 | 1,026 | 1,046 | 1,035 |
Exeter Township School District | 368 | 469 | 409 | 436 | 409 | 436 | 529 | 555 | 608 | 676 | 743 | 745 | 713 | 995 | 1,047 | 1,057 | 1,232 | 1,104 | 1,180 |
Schuylkill Valley School District | 137 | 138 | 192 | 218 | 192 | 218 | 316 | 322 | 432 | 435 | 369 | 378 | 373 | 409 | 395 | 469 | 584 | 650 | 656 |
Conrad Weiser Area School District | 290 | 306 | 222 | 347 | 222 | 347 | 490 | 548 | 594 | 704 | 710 | 712 | 771 | 807 | 926 | 886 | 773 | 926 | 906 |
Kutztown Area School District | 145 | 167 | 180 | 181 | 180 | 181 | 249 | 249 | 284 | 306 | 326 | 278 | 309 | 342 | 321 | 321 | 394 | 383 | 365 |
Wyomissing Area School District | 172 | 142 | 187 | 189 | 187 | 189 | 334 | 313 | 355 | 354 | 378 | 425 | 471 | 554 | 538 | 558 | 582 | 616 | 686 |
Fleetwood Area School District | 203 | 236 | 251 | 272 | 251 | 272 | 355 | 391 | 446 | 467 | 458 | 521 | 500 | 495 | 480 | 730 | 695 | 751 | 697 |
Tulpehocken Area School District | 227 | 248 | 265 | 273 | 265 | 273 | 332 | 379 | 453 | 455 | 441 | 481 | 504 | 544 | 564 | 531 | 559 | 526 | 527 |
INDICATORS | TREND | BERKS COUNTY |
---|---|
Quality Early Childhood Centers | Not Applicable |
Prekindergarten Participation | ![]() |
Students Eligible for Free/Reduced Price Lunch | ![]() |
English Language Learners | ![]() |
Students Receiving Special Education Services | ![]() |
Per Student Spending | ![]() |
Historically Underperforming Student Performance on Grade 3 English | ![]() |
Historically Underperforming Student Performance on Grade 3 Math | ![]() |
Historically Underperforming Student Performance on Grade 8 English | ![]() |
Historically Underperforming Student Performance on Grade 8 Math | ![]() |
Student Performance on High School English | ![]() |
Student Performance on High School Math | ![]() |
High School Cohort Graduation Rate | ![]() |
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity | ![]() |
Brain Drain/Gain | ![]() |
Plans of High School Graduates | ![]() |