Cutler Bay Middle School is the sole campus in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay area where every student will receive free breakfast and lunch this school year without filling out a single form.

The school is one of 121 Miami-Dade County Public Schools campuses that qualify for the federal Community Eligibility Provision for 2026-27, according to a district announcement on the program changes. As we reported Aug. 5, meal charges are returning to other local campuses after four years of universal free meals districtwide.

Families at every other Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay school need to act now: applications for free or reduced-price meals opened Monday, Aug. 10, at mdcpsnutrition.net, and students who haven't been approved by Sept. 28 will face full-price charges.

What changed and why

For four years, M-DCPS fed every student for free through CEP. Updated federal eligibility data now shows only 45.1% of district students qualify, below the 62.5% threshold the USDA requires for districtwide coverage, according to WSVN. The Miami-Dade County School Board approved new meal pricing at its July 22 meeting.

"We are trying to use all the angles possible to minimize the impact on families while maximizing the number of students who can continue receiving free breakfasts and lunches," Chief Operations Officer Luis E. Diaz wrote in an Aug. 12 op-ed published in Miami Community Newspapers.

Which local schools fall where

CEP (free breakfast and lunch, no application needed):

  • Cutler Bay Middle School

Non-CEP elementary and K-8 (breakfast free, must apply for lunch):

  • Coral Reef Elementary
  • Cutler Ridge Elementary
  • Dr. Henry E. Perrine Academy of the Arts
  • Howard Drive Elementary
  • Dr. Edward L. Whigham Elementary
  • Venetian Parc Academy
  • Whispering Pines Elementary

Non-CEP middle and high schools (must apply for both breakfast and lunch):

  • Coral Reef Senior High
  • Cutler Bay Senior High
  • Miami Palmetto Senior High
  • Southwood Middle
  • Arthur & Polly Mays Conservatory of the Arts K-12 Center
  • BioTECH @ Richmond Heights 6-12 Academy
  • MAST Medical Academy for Science & Technology

What families need to know

All students at non-CEP schools eat free during the first 30 operating days of the school year while eligibility is determined. After Sept. 28, unapproved students pay full price: $4.20 for lunch at all grade levels, and $2.50 for breakfast at middle and high schools, according to the South Dade News Leader. Reduced-rate meals cost 40 cents for lunch and 30 cents for breakfast.

Families receiving SNAP, TANF or Medicaid, and those with children classified as foster, homeless, runaway, migrant or Head Start participants, are automatically approved for free meals at any school with no application required.

Everyone else can apply at mdcpsnutrition.net. One application covers an entire household. Families needing help can call 786-275-0400, ext. 5000.

Upcoming community dates

  • Sept. 28 — Deadline for non-CEP meal applications before full-price charges begin
  • Ongoing — Free Afterschool Meals Program available at select local elementary and middle schools for students in after-school enrichment activities