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The Summer EBT program—also known as SUN Bucks—supports children who lose access to free and reduced-price school meals during the summer months.
New this year: Local Education Agencies (LEAs) will upload Summer EBT data during three periods to identify as many eligible students as possible. LEAs should submit a second Summer EBT upload file by April 24 if they have newly eligible students.
Which students are included in the 2nd Summer EBT upload?
LEAs should ONLY include newly eligible or newly enrolled students in this upload since the last data upload.
Some LEAs may also receive instructions by email to use the second upload to fix errors in their first upload.
What if an LEA has no newly eligible students?
LEAs without newly eligible students do not need to submit an upload.
How do LEAs submit the second upload?
Summer EBT contacts should use the Summer EBT Upload Portal to download the template first and then upload eligible students.
Learn More About Summer EBT
The Summer EBT 2026 Bulletin describes important details about the program, eligibility, and LEA’s role in the program.
Questions? Contact the Summer EBT team at SummerEBT@k12.wa.us.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is required to annually notify Local Education Agencies (LEAs) of their district-wide eligibility to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The SY 2026–27 CEP Eligibility Report estimates both the district-wide and an individual school’s Identified Student Percentage (ISP) using information from the Comprehensive Education Data and Research System (CEDARS) as of April 1, 2026.
The CEP Eligibility Report identifies LEAs and individual schools in the following categories:
- Eligible to Participate — ISP of at least 25%.
- Near Eligible to Participate — ISP greater than 15% but less than 25% (may be eligible to participate).
- Eligible for State CEP Funds — ISP of 40% or greater.
- Near Eligible for State CEP Funds — ISP of 30% or greater
- LEAs currently participating in CEP in some capacity.
The reported ISP is an estimate. To receive approval, LEAs must calculate their actual ISP and submit source documentation representative of April 1, 2026. ISPs must be validated by OSPI prior to approval to operate CEP.
The CEP application is open in the Washington Integrated Nutrition System (WINS). Please use the CEP Application Checklist to gather the required materials for the application. The deadline to submit CEP applications in WINS is June 30, 2026 in accordance with 7 CFR 245.9(f)(4)(i) and SP 04-2026: CEP Election Deadline and Annual Notification and Publication Requirements. Late applications will not be accepted.
CEP State Requirements
RCW 28A.235.300 requires all schools with an ISP of 40% or greater to participate in CEP. The state legislature provides state funds to CEP schools with an ISP of 40% or greater. When a school’s Free Claiming Percentage (the ISP multiplied by 1.6 (federal multiplier)) is less than 100%, state funding will supplement federal reimbursement so that all meals served are reimbursed at the federal free rate. Please note that state funds will only be provided to CEP school(s) with an overall ISP of 40% or greater.
The CEP: Increasing Options for Schools Final Rule lowered the minimum ISP to 25%. However, state supplemental funds do not cover individual schools or groups that operate CEP with an overall ISP less than 40%. LEAs are encouraged to review their data and determine if it’s financially viable for the district to operate CEP with an ISP between 25–40%.
Resources
Additional information and resources can be found on the CEP and Provision 2 webpage.
Questions? Please contact your School Meal Programs Specialist or email SchoolMeals@k12.wa.us
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