Free School Meals Eligibility Trends 2007-2013 | Education Data Analysis #1316273 (License: Personal Use)

This combined bar-and-line chart displays annual percentages of pupils eligible for free school meals (dark green line), those receiving them (light green bars), and the remaining pupil cohort (pale green line) across academic years 2007-08 to 2012-13. Eligibility increased steadily from 28.0% to 38.5%, while the share of pupils receiving meals peaked at 27.6% in 2008-09 before slightly declining to 26.5% by 2012-13. The “gap” between eligibility and actual uptake remained relatively stable around 10-12 percentage points.

Used in education policy reports, government briefings, or NGO advocacy pages to illustrate socioeconomic trends in school nutrition access; targets policymakers, researchers, and educators seeking data on equity and welfare program effectiveness.