The number of students who qualify for the program is a measure of poverty in the school district. It also dictates the amount of special state and federal funding the district can get to help schools address the needs of students living in poverty. However, the district might not be getting all the funding it could.

Forty-seven percent of Unified's roughly 21,000 students qualified during the 2006-07 school year for the program that reduces the cost of school lunches for low-income students, up from 42 percent the previous school year.

It's the largest one-year increase in the past eight years, and the number could be higher because many families who are eligible may not be participating. The district misses important federal and state grant opportunities when eligible students don't participate in the program, which is part of the federally funded National School Lunch Program.

District data shows the steady growth through the years of the district's low-income population.

However, the district hasn't faced this reality head on in past years, said Roger Dickson, Unified's chief financial officer. As a result, the district may be missing out on available funds. That money could help the district address the needs of its low-income population.

"As we recognize the demographics of our community, we can research and implement strategies that will help that demographic," Dickson said. "Research has found that children who come from a lower socioeconomic status require more resources than children who don't."

The state average for children eligible for free- or reduced-lunch was 34 percent, according to October 2006 enrollment data from the state Department of Public Instruction.

The program is about more than just lunches, said Dana Strauss, Unified's food service coordinator.

Eligible Unified students can waive a number of school and activity fees, everything from fees for instruments and textbook rental to the cost of summer school courses and Advanced Placement exams.

Free- or reduced-lunch numbers determine funding for many other Unified programs.

Part of Strauss' job is enrolling students and families in the district's program.

Currently 4,259 students have already qualified for free- or reduced-lunch for the 2007-08 school year, Strauss said. She expects to receive 8,000 or 9,000 applications at the beginning of the school year.

In November, the district processes every application to determine if families are truly eligible. The government bases a family's eligibility on annual income level, 1.3 to 1.85 times the federal poverty level. That amounts to $26,845 to $38,203 for a family of four.

Children in households getting FoodShare or W-2 cash benefits and most foster children automatically qualify for free lunches.

"We feel like we still have children out there who aren't getting the lunch they are eligible for," Strauss said. "If this is a program that is out there to help anybody, the more people we can help with this the better."