What Do SNAP Changes Mean for Schools and Kids?

Within the next few weeks, all of America’s K-12 children will be back in school. For many, this also brings the return—and relief—of access to regular meals. The nation’s food-insecure households are on the rise and are projected to continue upwards as aspects of the One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1) go into effect. 

Since the bill was signed into law last summer, more than 4.5 million people have lost their food assistance benefits, including 1 million kids. This estimate is just based on 19 states that collect this data, meaning the actual numbers are larger. In Georgia, 14.9% of participants have lost coverage, which comes out to about 225,000 people. Losing access to SNAP means that families are forced to make difficult decisions on how to spend already limited budgets—including skipping meals for themselves and/or their children. 

A 2026 Federal Reserve Bank of New York report found that households with kids in 2026 are actually having more issues with food hardship than during the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020. Families are dipping into savings, buying food on credit, or skipping meals altogether because there is not enough food.  

“All of this paints a picture of concern for me,” says Megan Winkler, PhD, a population health scientist and assistant professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it might be the tip of the iceberg, because we know there's more stuff coming from the H.R.1 bill that could result in more and more of these SNAP losses.”

Understanding the total impact is going to be difficult to glean at a national level moving forward, since, starting this fall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will stop releasing its annual Household Food Security in the United States report. Without this report and regular data collection from states, the reality of what's happening with SNAP and the nation’s hunger may get less attention. 

What Does This Mean for Schools?

Starting in October, states are expected to carry 75% of the administrative costs of SNAP (they previously covered 50%). Beginning in subsequent years, states will also be required to share in SNAP benefit costs for the first time. This ends the federal government’s long-standing practice of fully funding benefits. The actual dates of when these requirements go into effect are under debate in Congress as members of the Senate negotiate the Agricultural Act of 2026. Regardless of when this happens, states will have to make difficult choices, which could include eliminating universal free meals at schools or impacting who is eligible for SNAP in the state. 

“The cost-share is actually why the loss of the state-level food insecurity estimates are so critical,” says Winkler. “We now have no way to monitor the varied impacts this cost-share will have on individual states since they cancelled the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement.”

For children whose families are on SNAP, free breakfasts and lunches are a lifeline. In Georgia, 43% of kids received a free meal at school in the past year, according to a new report from the Emory Center for Child Health Policy. Losing access to SNAP could mean going home to empty cupboards and weekends without food. If food access at school is also at risk, that has major implications for the nation’s health. 

Long-Term Effects of Hunger

Hunger carries a long list of heavy health costs that extend beyond the physical to include emotional wellness and psychological health. Childhood hunger is associated with several health conditions, physical and mental developmental delays, as well as PTSD, anxiety, and depression. It is a risk factor for later homelessness. 

Research has repeatedly shown that students from food-insecure households often underperform on standardized tests, especially in math. Hunger makes it more difficult to pay attention, learn, and retain information. With academic achievement often closely linked to later income potential, food security is another barrier to escaping a cycle of poverty. 

Action Items for Georgia, for Individuals 

While Winkler notes that stepping back H.R.1 would be the most impactful move, there remain multiple options for states to help alleviate childhood hunger. For Georgia specifically, Winkler says the state legislature could: 

• Offer universal meals in schools. Regardless of family income, when a student walks into school, they can get a free breakfast and lunch. 
• Georgia could participate in the Summer EBT Program, which allows eligible families to receive a one-time $120 benefit for each school-aged child to use toward groceries for the summer. 
• Georgia could increase the household income threshold for SNAP eligibility. 
• The state could raise the minimum wage and/or offer more generous state-earned income tax credits, which research shows have direct impacts on food security.

At an individual level, Winkler encourages people to donate to their local food bank as often as their household budget allows.

“We all have a role in this,” she says. “We are all a part of this community.”