BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Free and reduced lunch programs help ease financial burdens for many families, but at Bentonville Schools, meals aren’t the only benefit students can qualify to receive.
This year, Bentonville students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program may also qualify for reduced home internet and assistance with high school and college courses. That includes free or reduced high school course fees and college application fees, SAT vouchers, free ACT options, and free college credit.
Some of these opportunities come from state and federal funding, and some of them are unique to Bentonville schools.
Christie Jay, the federal programs director for the district, said it’s all about setting students up for a successful future.
“We want to make sure that our students are connected with a path that they want to do after high school, so if they want to enroll with NTI or NWACC and get those concurrent credits, we want to make sure that they can do that," Jay said.
She added that academic success is tied to these benefits.
“We want our students to be as successful as they possibly can be, and one of the things that allows them to do that is to make sure that kids have a nutritious breakfast and a nutritious lunch whenever they come to school,” Jay said. “We believe in that firmly, and we believe that our students perform better in the classroom if they have that benefit.”
The district encourages families needing financial assistance to apply for free and reduced lunch even if they are unsure if they qualify.
You can apply and check for eligibility on Bentonville Schools’ family portal.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.