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PantryPath Research · School Hunger Atlas

School hunger in North Carolina

68% certified free/reduced

Across 2,591 public schools serving 1,530,224 students, 68.2% of North Carolina students are certified free or reduced-price. 0 schools (0% of NSLP participants) operate under the Community Eligibility Provision, and 0.0% of students are directly certified through SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid linkage.

1.5M

Students enrolled

2,591

Public schools (CCD)

0

CEP / Provision 2 schools

100

Counties in atlas

North Carolina by county

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Toggle between the school-food-access composite, free/reduced eligibility, CEP share, direct-certification rate, and SAIPE school-age poverty. Hover a county to see schools, enrollment, and the underlying certification mix.

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Lower
Higher

North Carolina at a glance

Free/reduced

68.2%

Share of enrollment

CEP share

0%

Of NSLP schools

Direct cert

0.0%

SNAP/TANF/Medicaid

NSLP schools

95%

Serve NSLP meals

5–17 in poverty

16.9%

Census SAIPE 2023

Access score

0.53

Composite 0–1

The access score is a 0–1 composite weighted 50% eligibility, 30% CEP share, 20% NSLP share — a visualization and ranking aid, not a direct measurement. See methodology.

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 100 in North Carolina.

Highest free/reduced share

Certified ≤185% FPL per enrollment

  1. 1 Duplin 99.6%
  2. 2 Scotland 99.4%
  3. 3 Chowan 99.4%
  4. 4 Greene 99.3%
  5. 5 Lenoir 99.3%

Highest CEP adoption

Of NSLP schools — min. 3 NSLP schools

  1. 1 Alamance 0%
  2. 2 Alexander 0%
  3. 3 Alleghany 0%
  4. 4 Anson 0%
  5. 5 Ashe 0%

Largest enrollment

Total students in CCD universe

  1. 1 Wake 179K
  2. 2 Mecklenburg 165K
  3. 3 Guilford 78K
  4. 4 Forsyth 56K
  5. 5 Cumberland 51K

Every county in North Carolina

All 100 counties with school counts, enrollment, certification mix, CEP adoption, and the SAIPE 5–17 poverty backdrop.

County Schools Enrollment Free/reduced CEP Direct cert 5–17 poverty Access
Alamance 39 24,523 61.4% 0% 0.0% 14.4% 0.49
Alexander 11 4,365 96.6% 0% 0.0% 17.0% 0.68
Alleghany 4 1,400 70.5% 0% 0.0% 24.0% 0.55
Anson 9 2,912 98.8% 0% 0.0% 32.8% 0.69
Ashe 6 2,698 98.9% 0% 0.0% 20.4% 0.69
Avery 10 2,081 98.6% 0% 0.0% 21.5% 0.69
Beaufort 14 6,215 92.7% 0% 0.0% 29.6% 0.65
Bertie 7 1,781 98.8% 0% 0.0% 33.7% 0.69
Bladen 14 4,637 86.3% 0% 0.0% 31.2% 0.62
Brunswick 21 14,782 88.9% 0% 0.0% 16.1% 0.63
Buncombe 59 29,150 79.6% 0% 0.0% 16.2% 0.58
Burke 26 12,073 93.9% 0% 0.0% 24.1% 0.66
Cabarrus 53 42,717 55.9% 0% 0.0% 11.0% 0.48
Caldwell 23 10,630 93.7% 0% 0.0% 16.6% 0.66
Camden 5 1,953 26.3% 0% 0.0% 7.6% 0.33
Carteret 17 8,223 44.0% 0% 0.0% 13.4% 0.41
Caswell 6 2,149 99.0% 0% 0.0% 22.4% 0.70
Catawba 42 22,269 68.5% 0% 0.0% 13.8% 0.54
Chatham 23 10,370 44.9% 0% 0.0% 10.3% 0.41
Cherokee 12 3,056 98.8% 0% 0.0% 22.9% 0.69
Chowan 4 1,833 99.4% 0% 0.0% 24.1% 0.70
Clay 4 1,301 63.5% 0% 0.0% 20.4% 0.52
Cleveland 27 15,398 91.3% 0% 0.0% 26.0% 0.65
Columbus 16 7,682 98.7% 0% 0.0% 31.0% 0.69
Craven 26 12,584 75.7% 0% 0.0% 25.3% 0.58
Cumberland 85 51,023 81.1% 0% 0.0% 21.8% 0.61
Currituck 11 4,594 32.8% 0% 0.0% 9.9% 0.35
Dare 10 5,074 41.3% 0% 0.0% 12.6% 0.41
Davidson 44 23,399 70.7% 0% 0.0% 19.4% 0.55
Davie 12 6,129 51.3% 0% 0.0% 13.3% 0.46
Duplin 13 9,835 99.6% 0% 0.0% 28.5% 0.70
Durham 69 44,728 57.1% 0% 0.0% 15.4% 0.47
Edgecombe 19 7,408 99.1% 0% 0.0% 39.8% 0.70
Forsyth 80 55,750 80.6% 0% 0.0% 20.7% 0.60
Franklin 19 11,154 49.9% 0% 0.0% 14.1% 0.42
Gaston 58 34,680 71.9% 0% 0.0% 17.9% 0.55
Gates 5 1,448 57.4% 0% 0.0% 18.7% 0.49
Graham 3 1,117 99.2% 0% 0.0% 24.2% 0.70
Granville 17 8,500 54.1% 0% 0.0% 14.9% 0.45
Greene 6 2,694 99.3% 0% 0.0% 28.7% 0.70
Guilford 132 78,073 75.6% 0% 0.0% 19.5% 0.57
Halifax 23 6,859 91.5% 0% 0.0% 41.6% 0.65
Harnett 29 20,382 72.1% 0% 0.0% 17.7% 0.55
Haywood 15 7,128 90.5% 0% 0.0% 16.2% 0.64
Henderson 24 13,376 93.0% 0% 0.0% 14.9% 0.65
Hertford 7 2,445 99.0% 0% 0.0% 31.6% 0.69
Hoke 13 8,743 99.2% 0% 0.0% 25.3% 0.70
Hyde 3 474 81.2% 0% 0.0% 32.4% 0.61
Iredell 48 30,936 55.0% 0% 0.0% 10.6% 0.47
Jackson 10 3,835 65.5% 0% 0.0% 20.0% 0.51
Johnston 49 40,551 80.0% 0% 0.0% 14.0% 0.59
Jones 5 1,041 98.4% 0% 0.0% 27.8% 0.69
Lee 17 10,358 72.2% 0% 0.0% 23.7% 0.55
Lenoir 17 8,449 99.3% 0% 0.0% 30.6% 0.70
Lincoln 23 14,244 52.8% 0% 0.0% 13.4% 0.46
Macon 11 4,353 84.2% 0% 0.0% 18.5% 0.62
Madison 6 2,117 98.8% 0% 0.0% 18.5% 0.69
Martin 10 3,065 84.4% 0% 0.0% 29.0% 0.60
McDowell 15 5,661 98.6% 0% 0.0% 19.2% 0.69
Mecklenburg 207 165,245 64.6% 0% 0.0% 14.0% 0.51
Mitchell 6 1,590 98.4% 0% 0.0% 18.4% 0.69
Montgomery 11 3,816 93.1% 0% 0.0% 20.4% 0.65
Moore 25 14,513 49.9% 0% 0.0% 11.8% 0.43
Nash 24 14,208 79.1% 0% 0.0% 20.4% 0.60
New Hanover 46 27,097 63.5% 0% 0.0% 14.4% 0.50
Northampton 6 2,319 98.5% 0% 0.0% 32.0% 0.69
Onslow 40 27,702 50.5% 0% 0.0% 17.3% 0.45
Orange 34 19,560 35.8% 0% 0.0% 7.7% 0.37
Pamlico 5 1,690 95.4% 0% 0.0% 25.6% 0.68
Pasquotank 13 5,442 90.1% 0% 0.0% 23.0% 0.65
Pender 18 11,027 56.7% 0% 0.0% 13.8% 0.48
Perquimans 4 1,689 99.2% 0% 0.0% 24.4% 0.70
Person 15 5,479 82.7% 0% 0.0% 18.8% 0.60
Pitt 40 24,983 94.1% 0% 0.0% 24.0% 0.67
Polk 7 2,156 99.0% 0% 0.0% 19.2% 0.70
Randolph 41 21,776 74.6% 0% 0.0% 18.6% 0.57
Richmond 14 6,546 99.3% 0% 0.0% 30.3% 0.70
Robeson 39 21,658 96.7% 0% 0.0% 37.9% 0.68
Rockingham 22 11,617 93.9% 0% 0.0% 18.2% 0.66
Rowan 33 19,105 93.3% 0% 0.0% 19.3% 0.66
Rutherford 19 9,188 78.6% 0% 0.0% 19.9% 0.57
Sampson 23 11,091 99.3% 0% 0.0% 25.4% 0.70
Scotland 9 5,413 99.4% 0% 0.0% 42.7% 0.70
Stanly 23 9,490 70.6% 0% 0.0% 13.3% 0.54
Stokes 18 5,516 58.9% 0% 0.0% 14.8% 0.49
Surry 30 11,105 78.3% 0% 0.0% 15.2% 0.58
Swain 6 2,090 85.3% 0% 0.0% 23.3% 0.59
Transylvania 9 3,664 87.9% 0% 0.0% 17.9% 0.62
Tyrrell 3 463 98.1% 0% 0.0% 30.6% 0.69
Union 55 45,899 35.8% 0% 0.0% 8.8% 0.36
Vance 17 7,463 85.5% 0% 0.0% 38.0% 0.62
Wake 217 178,591 35.2% 0% 0.0% 8.1% 0.36
Warren 7 1,835 98.7% 0% 0.0% 30.1% 0.69
Washington 6 1,324 78.8% 0% 0.0% 35.8% 0.56
Watauga 12 4,911 37.9% 0% 0.0% 11.6% 0.37
Wayne 33 18,491 88.0% 0% 0.0% 23.1% 0.63
Wilkes 22 8,625 99.1% 0% 0.0% 20.4% 0.70
Wilson 26 12,193 96.6% 0% 0.0% 26.8% 0.68
Yadkin 13 5,173 74.9% 0% 0.0% 16.7% 0.57
Yancey 7 2,076 58.2% 0% 0.0% 22.0% 0.49

North Carolina school meals guide

How free and reduced-price school lunch eligibility works, application steps, and what to do if your child's school is not in CEP.

School meals guide

Summer meals

When the school year ends, NSLP and CEP stop. The Summer Food Service Program and Summer EBT fill the gap for the 1,044,190 children who rely on school meals in North Carolina.

Summer meals guide

Families with children

SNAP, WIC, Head Start, and the full federal-program stack for households with kids — the assistance ecosystem around the school cafeteria.

Families guide

North Carolina child poverty

The sibling atlas — county-level child poverty across North Carolina. Free/reduced eligibility and child poverty track each other closely but not perfectly.

North Carolina child poverty atlas

North Carolina pantries

Verified food pantries, food banks, and meal programs across North Carolina — open weeknights, weekends, and through the summer gap.

North Carolina pantry directory

Methodology

How we aggregated NCES Common Core of Data school-level records to counties, proxied CEP from lunch_program == 2, and layered SAIPE school-age poverty — plus the access-score formula.

Full methodology