The funding given as compensatory revenue goes towards programs like supplementary teachers who help students who fall behind their grade level, staff development and specialists who can give students more individualized learning time if they’re struggling with a concept, according to Mark Stotts, the district’s finance and operations director.

There could be even more students eligible for free and reduced lunches who haven’t applied to the program, district officials say, as free and reduced numbers are typically higher in the elementary schools than they are at Ellis or Austin High School every year, meaning some students may not turn in their forms as they get older, even though they’d qualify. This holds true during the current school year as well, where elementary schools like Neveln and Sumner have 64 and 80 percents of their students enrolled in free and reduced lunch programs, compared to the high school which is estimated at 30 to 35 percent.

“We definitely see a drop-off in getting the forms turned in at a secondary level,” Mary Weikum the district’s director of food and nutrition said.

In order to apply, students must fill out an educational benefits application annually, which then determines whether a student is eligible for free or reduced lunch services, according to Weikum. A student typically gets about six weeks to renew their enrollment before their benefits run out and they must pay full price for lunch, a grace period that will end for previously enrolled students next Monday.

Because so many students apply for free and reduced lunches every year, the school offers a summer lunch program for students who wouldn’t normally get a meal when school is out.

“It’s because our free and reduced lunch percentage is over 50 percent that we’re able to offer that,” Weikum said.