Free and reduced-price meal enrollment does not measure student poverty: Evidence and policy significance
Department
Economics, Finance and Quantitative Analysis
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-1-2023
Abstract
Free and reduced-price meal (FRM) enrollment is commonly used in education research and policy applications as an indicator of student poverty. However, using multiple data sources external to the school system, we show that FRM status is a poor proxy for poverty, with enrollment rates far exceeding what would be expected based on stated income thresholds for program participation. This is true even without accounting for community eligibility for free meals, although community eligibility has exacerbated the problem in recent years. Over the course of showing the limitations of using FRM data to measure poverty, we also provide early evidence on the potential value of two alterative measures of school poverty.
Journal Title
Economics of Education Review
Journal ISSN
02727757
Volume
94
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1016/j.econedurev.2023.102374