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Inequality

Free lunch eligibility among schools differs greatly

By Casey Junkins - City Editor | Jan 18, 2020

School lunch staff and students enjoy the new menu at the Yorkshire Elementary School in Manassas, VA., on Friday, September 7, 2012. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

NASHUA – For the 2019-20 academic year, children in a family of four with annual household income below $47,638 qualify for reduced-price lunch, while the youngsters are eligible for free meals if that income is anything less than $33,475.

Data obtained from the New Hampshire Department of Education and reviewed by The Telegraph show clear wealth disparities throughout Greater Nashua. For example, at Nashua’s Ledge Street Elementary School, more than 75% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Conversely, fewer than 11% of students at Bicentennial Elementary School meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for free or reduced-price lunch.

As Democratic presidential candidates such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Biden, Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang, Michael Bennet and others campaign ahead of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation (#FITN) primary, several of them regularly discuss the concept of income inequality throughout America. The statistics suggest they may find some examples in the Granite State.

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