That is 77.7 percent of the district's total enrollment of 31,714.
Under guidelines established by the National School Lunch Program, children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free lunch and children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-price lunch.
In 2017-2018, 24,243 students qualified for free or reduced lunches in the district, 1.7 percent less than 2018-2019 data.
The Department of Education said 21,585 students in Des Moines Independent Public School District qualified for free lunches, and another 3,069 for reduced lunches in 2018-2019.
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