Over 9000 children in South Lanarkshire are currently receiving free school meals.
The figure was revealed as new stats showed the level of pupil equity funding being allocated to schools in the region to try and bridge the poverty attainment gap.
A total of £8,949,160 has been earmarked for South Lanarkshire for 2022/2023, with headteachers in Rutherglen and Cambuslang being provided with £2.1m.
The amount of funding, which comes from the Scottish Government, is worked out using various criteria, including the number of kids who require free school meals.
For the South Lanarkshire region, that figure stands at 9300 in total.
Schools have direct control over how PEF is spent and take into consideration individual circumstances to secure the most impact for pupils and families in need.
Figures released earlier this year by the Campaign to End Child Poverty/ End Child Poverty Coalition (ECPC) indicates that just under 13,000 children in South Lanarkshire live in relative poverty once housing costs have been taken into account.
Katy Loudon, who is seeking re-election in the Cambuslang East ward for the SNP, and was chairwoman of education at South Lanarkshire Council (SLC), said extensive work had been undertaken to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap.
She told Lanarkshire Live : "As chairwoman of education at SLC, and as a former teacher myself, I know that measures like the expansion of free school meals to all P1-P5 pupils, our free breakfast clubs, and Pupil Equity Funding work very well in helping those most in need of further support.
"Through our Participatory Budgeting scheme, pupils and parents and carers have been able to have their say on how school budgets are spent, to best meet each school’s needs. In the Cambuslang East ward alone, £416,500 is being provided to headteachers in this financial year to take the approaches that are right for the children and young people in their schools.
"Results prove this approach is working with the latest statistics showing over 96 percent of young people in the area go on to positive destinations once they’ve left school."
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