In education policy and public debate, we often talk about students from “low-income” families. That descriptor is typically based on data from the National School Lunch Program, which provides qualified students with school meals for free or at a reduced price. Enrollment in the program, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, plays a central role in identifying low-income students in U.S. schools and thus a central role in consequential education funding and accountability policies at the federal, state, and local levels.
