Not For Public Distribution
Free or Reduced-Price Lunch (FRL) Briefing
Connecticut
PRIMARY TALKING POINTS
o
“The vast majority of Achievement First students receive free or reduced-price lunch (FRL). In
the 2013-14 school year, 89% percent of our Connecticut students qualify for free and reducedprice lunch.”

FACT: Only 35 percent of students statewide qualify for FRL.
FACT: At individual schools, we have seen dramatic increases. For example, the free and
reduced-price lunch population at AF Hartford Elementary was 100 percent in 2013-2014,
nearly a 37 percentage point jump since 2011-12.
o
“We support granting lottery preference to low-income students, and we are committed to
increasing our FRL percentages until they equal or surpass our host districts’. We are also
recruiting more students from low-income backgrounds to enter our lottery.”

FACT: We grant preference to FRL students in our lottery in every district in which it is legal
to do so. In New York, where we manage our own lottery process, we incorporated an
enrollment preference as soon as that action became legal. Similarly, our first school in
Rhode Island will also grant lottery preference to students from low-income neighborhoods
based on U.S. Census tracts.

FACT: In Connecticut, it is not legal for Achievement First to grant preference to students
from low-income backgrounds, but we support legislation that would allow FRL preference.

FACT: At some of our Connecticut schools, there is a lottery preference for students who live
in the low-income neighborhoods in which our schools are located. For example, Amistad
Academy grants neighborhood preference to students living in the Dwight neighborhood,
one of New Haven’s lowest-income neighborhoods. As a partial result, Amistad Academy
Elementary now serves a greater percentage of free and reduced-price lunch students than
New Haven Public Schools.

FACT: Publicly reported FRL percentages may not accurately represent our host districts’
true FRL populations. The districts in which Achievement First operates qualify for “Provision
2,” a federal policy that simplifies meal counting and claiming procedures by allowing
schools to give all students free lunch regardless of their qualification status. Those who
elect to give all students free lunch must pay the difference between the federal
reimbursement and the cost of free meals provided—effectively paying for those students
who received free meals but did not qualify as FRL. Therefore, publicly reported percentages
are often not an accurate representation of the percentage of students qualifying for FRL.
Achievement First Talking Points | FRL CT
Do Not Use After 9/1/2014
Page 1 of 2
For support, email marketing@achievementfirst.org
Not For Public Distribution


FACT: Recent Connecticut State Department of Education data shows our population is
reflective of the host districts. This data reflects the percentages of only those students who
qualify for FRL in its percentages.
FACT: Street teams of current Achievement First parents visit low-income neighborhoods
near our schools to distribute recruitment materials and speak with families.
DATA
Free and Reduced-Price Lunch
Achievement First
Geography*
AF % FRL
AF Connecticut Schools
89%
Host District
Host District % FRL
Connecticut Traditional
35%
Public Schools
* All Achievement First statistics are for 2013-14 unless otherwise stated. Connecticut figures are from
2011-12, the most recent data publicly available.
Connecticut
AF School
AF Bridgeport Academy
Elementary
AF Bridgeport Academy
Middle
AF Hartford Academy
Elementary
AF Hartford Academy
Middle
AF Hartford High
Amistad Academy
Elementary
Amistad Academy Middle
AF Amistad High School
Elm City College Prep
Elementary
Elm City College Prep
Middle
AF % FRL
81.1%
Host District
Bridgeport Public Schools
Host District* % FRL
99%
80.1%
Bridgeport Public Schools
99%
100%
Hartford Public Schools
90%
100%
Hartford Public Schools
90%
100%
91%
Hartford Public Schools
New Haven Public Schools
90%
69%
80.1%
75.3%
79.7%
New Haven Public Schools
New Haven Public Schools
New Haven Public Schools
69%
69%
69%
74.4%
New Haven Public Schools
69%
Achievement First Talking Points | FRL CT
Do Not Use After 9/1/2014
Page 2 of 2
For support, email marketing@achievementfirst.org