At least six Kansas City-area school districts are offering free lunches this summer, the blog Kids in KC reports. 

Some of the schools hosting free meal programs in the Kansas City area are: 

• Belton School District 

• De Soto School District 

• Independence School District 

• Lee’s Summit School District 

• Olathe School District 

• Shawnee Mission School District 

Olathe School District in Olathe, Kansas, announced its Cafe 233 Food Services team will be providing free lunches to children as young as 1 this summer. The program begins June 1 and goes until July 23 with lunches served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 

Kids up to 18 years old can participate in the program, and there aren’t any income or registration requirements. The meals will be served at Havencroft, Northview, Ridgeview and Washington Elementary schools and must be eaten onsite. 

The funding for Olathe’s program hasn’t been specified, but De Soto Schools and Shawnee Mission Schools will use money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fully fund their free lunch programs this summer, according to Kids in KC. 

The Kansas State Department of Education also has a free summer meals program, which will sponsor meals served at dozens of schools across the state. 

The programs come at a time when education budgets are facing scrutiny. 

In a study published earlier this year, Kansas Policy Institute investigated how Kansas schools use their money as school funding reached a record high of $8.65 billion – or an average of $18,858 per student – in the 2024-25 school year. 

“Money matters, but how money is spent can make a difference, not just spending more,” KPI writes. 

Despite school funding climbing to a record high, student achievement didn’t follow the same trend. Last year’s Kansas ACT scores showed only 17% of graduates were academically prepared in English, reading and science, according to KPI. 

“In fact, school funding more than doubled since 2005, yet districts reduced Instruction spending from 54% to 52%,” KPI explains in the study. 

(Screenshot of ACT levels graph and spending graph from KPI) 

Instruction includes classroom teaching, lab sessions, independent work and education field trips, according to the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE). 

“Although all other functions are important, this function acts as the most important part of the education program, the very foundation on which everything else is built,” KSDE says in its accounting handbook regarding instruction. 

“If this function fails to perform at the needed level, the whole educational program is doomed to failure regardless of how well the other functions perform.” 

During the school year, 42% of students in Kansas and Missouri are eligible for free lunches, which are primarily funded by the USDA’s National School Lunch Program.  

Some states are passing or considering legislation to expand programs, making all school lunches free of charge for students. New Mexico, Michigan, California, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Vermont and Colorado all offer free meals at public schools and over 25 other states have legislation in the works to do the same, according to the New York City Food Policy Center. 

Advocates for free school lunches argue the food helps low-income students and students experiencing food insecurity. However, policy analysts argue universal free lunches often benefit the kids who don’t necessarily need it – those in the middle and upper classes. Universal free lunches can also contribute to large amounts of food waste. 

Some studies have shown homemade lunches can cost less than school lunches, depending on the school district. 

Besides the reduction in instructional spending, KPI notes that Kansas schools saw a decline in student enrollment in 2025 and cut over 300 classroom teachers while hiring over 1,000 managers and employees who aren’t teachers. 

“This new data is another reminder that student outcomes won’t change until adult behaviors change,” KPI wrote. 

Several other organizations such as nonprofits, libraries and the Olathe Police Department will also be providing free meals or meal support this summer. 

Olathe Police Department flyer for summer food drive. Photo credit: screenshot/X/@OlathePolice

(Photo by CDC, Unsplash)