Some 51.5 percent of schools in high-poverty areas offer free breakfast and lunch to all students through the so-called community eligibility provision of the 2010 school food law, said USDA. “This means that nearly 14,000 schools in more than 2,000 school districts across the country are offering nutritious meals at no cost to more than 6.4 million students,” said USDA. “The provision improves access to nutritious meals for low-income students while reducing administrative burdens for households and schools.” For a school to qualify, 40 percent of its students must be poor. This is the first year the provision was available nationwide.