Accurately measuring the family incomes of students is essential to allocating school resources that meet the educational needs of all students, particularly the needs of students from low-income families. With the onset of the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, the need to accurately assess the financial condition of families who are suffering a loss of income and employment has taken on new and urgent importance. Public school districts are experiencing a significant loss of funding, making them more dependent on federal dollars to meet children's needs. Measuring student socioeconomic status (SES) accurately is essential if schools educating students from low-income and impoverished families are to receive the funds they need to offer quality education to those students furthest from opportunity. The Free and Reduced-Price Lunch (FRPL) program has been the most commonly used measure of student poverty in the United States, but that is changing. This report examines the limitations of FRPL as a sole proxy for student poverty and the shift away from its use. It considers "direct certification," a newer process for determining students' eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, Title I-sponsored student services, and other programs. This report offers several considerations for state policymakers who are seeking to accurately count students from low-income families through the direct certification process. The report concludes with a call for the continuous development of up-to-date, comprehensive measures of students' SES that will better serve the needs of policymakers, researchers, educators, and families.