This North Carolina School District May Become #1 For Free School Lunch

This North Carolina school district may be the first in the state for "Universal Free Lunch". Durham Public Schools may become the largest school district in North Carolina to provide free school lunch to its students.

"Free School Lunch" for all students, this is the goal of Durham Public Schools. The district is planning to apply for a federal program that will potentially provide free lunch to 32,000 students. "The Universal Meal Program" is a federal bill that seeks to lessen the burden on families who live in food-insecure households. The USDA has estimated that 9 million children deal with food insecurity.

Through a combination of federal waivers and passionate advocates, many schools for the first time may be able to provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner to students who otherwise may not eat at home. This bill also does not require families to "prove" that they are indigent. Also, by providing free lunch to all students, this then destigmatizes separation by "class" and allows students to eat when they are hungry instead of being too embarrassed to ask for free student lunch or not able to eat due to outstanding lunch debt.

Additionally, school districts who have enacted "The Universal Meal Program" have discovered that they have actually saved time and money. If Durham is able to receive this funding, students would no longer be required to fill out free lunch application forms. These forms use valuable admin time to approve financial documents. The school administrators would no longer need to call parents to clear student lunch debt, which has reached into the hundreds of thousands for some districts.

This is such a great opportunity because children should not be worried about whether or not they are able to afford lunch when they are going to school. Below you can watch the full news story on the situation done by CSB 17 in the Raleigh/Durham area.

North Carolina has a lot going for it. From the best basketball athlete of all time Michael Jordan to now the best public high school.

The U.S. News & World has released its report of the top public high schools and The Early College at Guilford in Greensboro takes the top spot in the country. The Early College got a perfect score -- 100 out of 100. The publication reviewed almost 25,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Of those, 563 North Carolina schools made the list.

The rankings only include public high schools. It looked at a number of metrics including graduation rate, college preparedness, opportunity for Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and state testing courses.

There are some requirements for students to successfully complete public high school in North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, high school students must:

While the Early College at Guilford took the #1 spot for Best Public High School in the country, there were a number of other public high schools in North Carolina that ranked well in the Tar Heel State. See them below.

The high school students who attend here can graduate with two years of college credit from Guilford College, a private liberal arts institution. The school doesn't have athletic teams, but students can join teams in their attendance zone. Service learning is encouraged, and students can start clubs and organizations.

This school offers a fast-paced curriculum that integrates knowledge in science, technology, engineering & mathematics. It ranks #40 nationally with an overall score of 99.77 out of 100. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate here is 96%. It serves grades 9 - 13 with a 100% graduation rate.

This school is in a small town where students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate is 98%. The total minority enrollment is 31%, and 18% of students are economically disadvantaged.

Wake NCSU STEM Early College High School is 1 of 34 high schools in the Wake County Schools. It ranks fourth within North Carolina. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate at Wake NCSU STEM Early College High School is 100%.

This school mission is to challenge college-bound students in a creative and supportive atmosphere to become knowledgeable, thoughtful, contributing citizens. Students learn to be citizens in a challenging academic setting. Nationally, it ranks #133. It ranks #4 in state in making sure students are college-ready.

This is a full-time performing and visual arts academy. Located in downtown Greensboro, Weaver Academy is a magnet school showcasing two extraordinary educational programs. It's a school for students to focus on the performing and visual arts, and a school for students to launch themselves into advanced technology career pathways. It serves as a platform to meet the needs of students from all backgrounds.