The percentage of public school students qualifying for free or reduced price meals has increased from about 33 percent to nearly 50 percent over the past 15 years. Kansas uses the number of students eligible for free (but not reduced-price) lunch to determine the amount of funding school districts receive to provide for services to at-risk students. Because the value of this weighting factor has increased from 10 percent of base state aid per pupil to over 45 percent of base aid, questions have been raised about whether the number of students receiving free meals is due to actual changes in student and family economic need, or whether the increased weighting factor has caused districts to "recruit" families who may not actually qualify. This document presents data and comparisons that address those questions.