Updated PDE Draft Enrollment/NSLP Data Released

January 8, 2026

Attached: DRAFT-Enroll-NSLP-CEP-Data-Revised-Jan-7.xls

Attached is the updated draft enrollment/NSLP/CEP data that was submitted by LEAs for their October 2025 NSLP Claim.  It contains data for an additional 427 LEAs that were not included in the original draft sent to listserve on December 15 and any corrections made by LEAs through December 30, 2025. 
If you have not yet done so, you have until Friday, January 16, 2026 to update your EPC profiles with your current enrollment and NSLP (or CEP%) data – AND C2 enrollment data (if applying for C2 in FY 2026).  After that, the EPC profiles will be locked and the data cannot be updated. 
Where Should You Update EPC Profiles?You must access each school’s EPC Profile page to update this information.  There are two places to find a list of schools in EPC:  1) On the Landing Page (5 schools per page will be displayed), or 2) on the Discount Rate Page (10 schools per page will be displayed).  Personally, I recommend using the Discount Rate Page to ensure your totals are accurate and determine the discount for FY 2026.  I also suggest you use the “Guide to Entering Enrollment-NSLP in EPC” which contains screenshots of the EPC profile pages for both CEP schools and non-CEP schools.  The Guide also explains where to enter Category 2 Budget data.  Use this Guide, and you will succeed!

A Few Additional Notes:

  1. Don’t forget:  Your EPC profiles must contain ALL of the buildings that are receiving E-Rate discounted services, including your non-instructional facilities (NIFs), such as bus barns, administration buildings, etc.  If you have not yet added those NIF buildings to your EPC Portal, call USAC at 888-203-8100 and ask them to add them.
  2. Each school’s profile page has fields for State School and LEA Codes and NCES codes.  You are not required to enter this data.  If you choose to enter this data, and if the system gives you an error for these fields, just erase the data and hit Submit.
  3. Consortia will NOT enter this data for their member schools/districts.  In fact, the EPC system does not have functionality to allow them to enter this data for their members (it must all be done through the district-level EPC portals).  If you’re a consortia lead and want to enter this data, you should obtain an E-Rate Consultant Registration Number (CRN).  For more information, go to  consultant-registration-numbers/.
  4. If you’re using an E-Rate consultant, please forward this message to them so they can update your EPC profiles (which they can do from their consultant EPC accounts).
  5. If you have any questions about your NSLP or CEP information, contact Jennifer Jarrett in the PDE Bureau of Food and Nutrition at 800.331.0129 (option 4) or jejarrett@pa.gov.  If you have questions about E-Rate or entering this data in EPC, please email me at  lgermann@e-ratepa.org.  If you haven’t yet, please be sure to whitelist my email address to ensure that any direct correspondence (non-listserve) is received.  

Answers to questions we’ve received:  

  1. Do we have to update each school’s EPC profile annually?  Yes.  The only exception is if you conducted a family survey in which case you can rely on that data for 2 funding years.
  2. Does PDE or USAC automatically update our EPC profiles on our behalf?  No.  Schools must populate the EPC profiles themselves.  I understand it’s confusing when data is already there from last year, but that’s because the data isn’t wiped clean from the previous year.
  3. If our school doesn’t participate in NSLP, what data should we use for our EPC profiles?  If your school does not participate in the NSLP, the school still must be included in your EPC Portal and have enrollment and NSLP eligibility data entered.
  4. We’re a CTC and our data is not on the spreadsheet; how should we obtain our NSLP eligibility data?  CTCs should reach out to their sending districts to ask which of their CTC students qualify for NSLP.  Then aggregate the data from all of your sending schools and enter the totals in EPC.  Be sure to keep careful written documentation of this correspondence.
  5. Are we required to update our Category 2 enrollment if we’re not applying for C2 funds in FY 2026?  No.
  6. Even if we’re not applying for C2 funding in FY 2026, can we update our Category 2 enrollment this year to lock in a higher C2 budget for the remaining years in the new C2 budget cycle?  No.  C2 enrollment data can only be updated in a year in which you are applying for C2 funding.
  7. Update for schools with a CEP% below 40%:  Starting last year, USAC added functionality in EPC to allow CEP % to be entered below 40%; therefore, you should no longer enter the district-wide average CEP% for schools with CEP% below 40%.
  8. How to handle combined school PDE data:  If your PDE data is lumped together for 2 schools but broken out in EPC, you should obtain the breakdown from your food service director and enter it by school building in EPC.
  9. CEP LEAs with CEP Base Year 2022:  There are 29 LEAs that have 2022 as their CEP base year.  Please note that ‘2022’ is listed as your LEA’s CEP base year in the EPC portal, PIA will require you to provide evidence that your district intends to opt into CEP for the 2026 school year.  Be sure to have your Food Service Director update your LEA’s CEP participation for next year as soon as possible.
  10. Schools that do not participate in NSLP:  If your school does not participate in the NSLP, the school still must be included in your EPC Portal and have enrollment and NSLP eligibility data entered.  If you do not have the NSLP data and cannot obtain student family income levels from other sources, you can list 0 and receive the minimum 20% E-rate discount for that school.
  11. Be sure to review schools and libraries in EPC Portal:  Review the entities in your EPC Portal and contact USAC at 888-203-8100 to have any new entities added, such as new schools, libraries, non-instructional facilities (NIFs), etc.  If school or library addresses have changed, you can make those modifications yourself in that school or library’s EPC page by January 16.
  12. Where should you update EPC Profiles?  You must access each school’s EPC Profile page to update this information.  There are two places to find a list of schools in EPC:  1) On the Landing Page (5 per page), or 2) on the Discount Rate Page (10 per page).  Personally, I recommend that you use the Discount Rate Page so you can then easily ensure that your totals are accurate and determine the discount for FY 2026.  If you reference the “Guide to Entering Enrollment-NSLP in EPC” you will see screenshots of the EPC profile pages for both CEP schools and non-CEP schools.  The Guide also explains where to enter Category 2 Budget updates and how to request a C2 Replacement Budget.  Use this Guide, and you will succeed!
  13. Don’t forget:  Your EPC profiles must contain ALL of the buildings that are receiving E-rate discounted services, including your non-instructional facilities (NIFs), such as bus barns, administration buildings, etc.  If you have not yet added those NIF buildings to your EPC Portal, call USAC at 888-203-8100 and have them added.

If you have questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.Happy Updating!

— Lorrie

Lorrie Germann
Pennsylvania E-Rate Coordinator
717-576-2737 – o
lgermann@e-ratepa.org
www.e-ratepa.org

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