Recently, some HS kids staged a boycott over the increased price of school lunch:

I thought it was interesting since our public school lunches have been $2.75 for the past three years.

Just curious: what's the cost of school lunches in your area? Can you make a lunch cheaper? Do your kids buy or bring?

cj/

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Geesh. Ours are only $1.50 a day. Also we have a cashless system. Parents put money into an account and students use their pin numbers to buy lunch.

The grade school is 1.75 and the high school is 2.50. None of my kids buy lucnhes so I don't worry about it. It's much cheaper to pack 3 lunches a day than to buy them. PLus they get more food and food they like. My son is a senior this year and has only ever bought one time and that was in like 4th grade. They all prefer to pack.

Jen

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1.85 here, and we sit down each month and mark on the lunch schedule which days we want to buy and take. They take the majority of the time-at least 3-4 days a week.

I think it's definitely cheaper to take, especially since the kids talk Grammy into buying them the individual sized snacks. I buy the big bag of whatever and put it into snack sized baggies, but Grammy will bring them the individual sized that cost mroe money and have less in them that what I would give them.

Lunch:

Elementary:
Full price, elementary student: $1.75
Reduced price, elementary student: $0.40
Elementary only - visiting non-enrolled student: $2.00
Secondary:
Full price, secondary student: $1.80
Reduced price, secondary student: $0.40
A complete lunch includes these five food items:
One serving of milk
One grain/bread
One meat/meat alternate
Two different servings of a fruit and/or vegetable

Plus this year if they want fries with the lunch they have to pay an extra $1.oo which made alot of parents mad including me. (middle and high only)

An extra $1 for fries?? Talk about a money maker! Is that to encourage healthier eating or something????

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

I guess thats the reason. If they would serve the kids a decent luch it would be fine but the lunches here are pretty crappy. Is wish parents would go to their kids lunch room for a week and see the stuff they serve and what goes on in there.

High schools can do this package also

2007-2008 Price List
High Schools Only
Combo Meals - $4.00
Combo Meal Includes: Entree, Combo Fries with seasonings
or Tossed Salad and a Bottled Drink

Combo Components
Individual prices if not purchased as a package

Combo Entrees:
Clux delux chicken bites, 5 chunks per serving box with dipping sauce $2.50
Clux delux chicken sandwich $2.50
Clux delux tenders $2.50
Clux delux hot and spicy chicken breast $2.50
Double cheeseburger with bacon and toppings $2.50
Jumbo burger with toppings $2.50
Solo Red Baron pizza $2.50

Ours is $2.25.

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$1.75 elementary school full pay before we moved
$1.35 now..

Now if I could get the kids to stop buying the extras maybe the lunch money I calculate would last...

Ours is 2.70 a day for elementary. I have a 3rd and 5th grader and rarely ever let them take hot lunch as the food looks just disgusting. On Wed. they either get Papa John's Pizza or Pizza Hut but I swear the slices are so much smaller than if you were to just order a pizza from home! That one tiny little piece won't fill up my 3rd grader let alone my 5th grader! My little girl is always complaining that "Mom the hot dogs were green today for lunch"! YUCK

I't pretty sad when Mcdonald's hamburger Happy Meal would be cheaper to bring in every day than buying a school lunch that's supposed to be healthy.

Regular Lunch $1.60 for elementary

Regular Lunch $1.85 | Combo Lunch $2.50 for Middle & High School

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Wow, I thought ours were bad at $1.50 for elementary school. DS takes his lunch 95% of the time - I do let him buy lunch at school whenever he wants but he is so picky he usually doesn't like what they're having. I can make him a lunch much cheaper than $1.50 - he usually takes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a cream cheese sandwich or sometimes a lunchable if I can get it free or cheap with coupons - LOL. I'm sure I spend an average of less than 0.50 on a lunch from home.

My middle schooler pays $2 and my elementary kiddo pays $1.75.

They buy once a week and pack the rest of the week. I could pack both of their lunches for less than what we'd pay for the week to buy. My middle schooler refuses to pack so she doesn't eat lunch. It's not "cool" to pack she says.

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Ours went from $1.25 last year to $1.75 this year. Quite an increase if you ask me, but I guess it not an unreasonable rate compared to everyone else. I find it interesting that other locations have a price for elementary and a different price for the older students - in our district everyone has the same price.

My oldest is in 5th grade and she eats hot lunch nearly every day. She is not a picky eater at all and seems to love the school lunches. My middle daughter, in 4th grade, has never had hot lunch. She usually eats 2 PBJ sandwiches (I cut them with the pampered chef cut-n-seal because she doesn't like the crusts), with different side items each day. My youngest just started kindergarten this year and started mostly eating hot lunch, but has switched to mostly packing his lunch. He also likes a PBJ every day and I just alter the sides for him too. I think it is definately cheaper to pack then to pay $1.75 each day for lunch and I'd love it if I could get my oldest to pack her lunch as well, but I figure 1 out of 3 isn't bad.

Elementary prices are $1.45 here. High school ranges from $2 to $3.50, depending on what they get.
My younger two pack their lunches nearly everyday. I do allow them to buy on certain days,when it's something they really like(pizza!).
After looking at the menus, most days it's not worth the $$$ spent. I mean, at least, twice a month they have breadsticks with either cheese or pizza sauce for their entree!!! Since when is that a nutrious option?

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Wow, Ours looks like one of the highest

Breakfast:
Elementary, Middle School, & High School - $2.00
Reduced - $0.30

Lunch:
Elementary - $3.00
Middle School & High School - $3.25
Reduced - $0.40

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Our lunches are $1.10 for grade school...not sure what the high school price is. I think last year they were $1.00. My girls bring their lunch (think my oldest bought once), I like knowing what they are eating...AND they are picky eaters so I know they'll eat all of what's in their lunchbox versus 1 or 2 items from the school lunch.

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We also have the cashless system - pay online w/ credit card, student plugs in their number. I love it - no more sending checks!

Elementary $1.85 - youngest eats there - they have 3 hot and 3 cold choices every day plus self-serve veggie/fruit bar -she always finds something she likes.

Middle $2.00 - oldest takes her lunch, but not because it's expensive or gross, but because she can sit with her friends before table fills up because she bypasses waiting in line

I don't know what the reduced amounts are or the high school prices.

Lisa

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Elementary school and middle school are both $1.50 for standard lunch, which includes milk. They can add a bag of baked chips for .50, an entree for $1, extra milk for .25. I'll find out next year about high school prices.

Elementary here is $1.75 for lunch with milk. It's a cashless system. I have no idea about middle or high school costs

When *I* was in high school (some 15+ years ago...OMG!), lunches was anywhere from $3-$7, depending on what you got. We didn't have a cafeteria so we had food carts all over campus. Salad was the most expensive at around $5 but drinks (bottles of soda) were $2. I went off campus mostly because you could get better (and cheaper) food off campus. That was in Southern CA

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our last school it was $2.05... this was supplied by AAFES and supposed to be only to cover the cost...

here its $1.65 more selection and more food... they tried it the first few weeks of school but my girls decided they like bringing their lunch so that's what we do... my youngest is on a peanut butter kick... no jelly... and my oldest picks out her lunchmeat each week... and I always try to put a variety of sides in there so there's no "dullness"... of course there's always a lunch note and a mint too

Wow, our breakfast is only .75 - and I hate paying that, with all of the cheap cereal we have at home! Of course with milk prices now . . .

I also wish our school had the cashless system. I have to send in checks for their tickets and they can only buy 2 at a time, so I am forever sending in checks.

High school is 2.00 but my son takes 3.00, They also have a salad and sandwich bar available.

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Elem. $2
middle 1.75


which is too much for the stuff they serve, both schools dont even have kitchens, the lunches are brought from another school

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Wow we are on the low side for sure...its 90 cents for lunch and 65 cents for breakfast. You place money in an account and your child uses a pin number to buy lunch. I was surprised that there are add ons in elementary school, like ice cream, extra hot dogs, cookies, even soda....my son previous school didn't have these choices, lunch was 1.25 there. My son knows not to buy the add-ons, plus I send lunch almost everyday. When we lived in South Dakota lunch at school was a healthy choice, whole grains, vegetables, and so on. Here in Delaware its pizza every week, chicken fries, cheeseburgers, fries, cake, cookies, canned fruit.......No way am I going to let me child eat that everyday.

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Our school lunches are $1.50. I can make a lunch for much cheaper than that, plus DD doesn't like alot of the meals they serve. She eats when it's something she likes, maybe 1 day a week, like today they are having hamburgers so she bought today.

Ours is $1.60 for elementary school lunch. They also offer extras like chips, pretzels, ice cream, Gatorade, etc. We have a cashless system, but you can bring cash if you want to. I put money in DS's account either by sending a check to the school or going on-line. If I do it on-line, they charge a fee, so I just send the check to school with DS.

We get a monthly menu which I print out and go through with DS. I highlight all the days there is something on the menu that he likes, which is most days. Last year he took his lunch from home most days, but this year 90% of his class buys lunch every day so he wants to too. The lunch food looks very unappealing to me, but DS likes it. He will eat all kinds of things at school that he will not eat for me at home.

Sarah..........mom to Jason & Devin

Elementary 1.50 or 2.00 wtih Milk and Dessert

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Our k- 8th grade public school is $2 and that includes milk and sometimes a dessert.

Elementary and Middle school are both $1.60

I have no clue how much the High School is here since I don't have any going there.....

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O-H-I-O

2.25 elementary

We are in the same school district as Mackeeg. My kids rarely buy. I pack for the two younger ones, and just stock up on snacks and sodas for the two older ones who are in h.s. I found out the two older ones were just buying junk at school, so even though it's junk I'm buying for them, , at least it's a fraction of the cost.

Wow - I guess we are high! High-priced, that is. Oldest goes to a private school and he tells me that lunch is $4.50. He hasn't ever bought lunch there, he loves his mom-made lunch.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

elementary :$1.25 and middle school is $2.00 ....
my kids eats rarely at the cafeteria,and since the lunch lady swung the pizza at my dd,she doesn't want to eat there anymore(not so bad IMO!!!)

one of my friends who lives in San jose CA pays $6 for her daughters in elementary school, for lunch.....ok,it is catered by a chef.(this is in private school,and she is very lucky that her dh;s company is paying for the school ,a perk for an expatriate....)

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Elementary lunch: $2.25
Elementary breakfast: $1.00

Not sure about middle or high school.

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*Mom to McKenna and Tanyn ~ Nov. 2000 Twins*

Many of the private schools here offer very good meals as well.
Lunch at my elementary school is $0.00. Breakfast is free as well.

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Here in Alaska, the High School charges $2. I don't think the price is bad, especially compared to what the prices of groceries are here. 99% of the time, DD takes her lunch to school so it doesn't really matter. I do keep money in her account just in case she decides to get something or is running late and doesn't pack a lunch that morning.

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Here elementary school lunches are $2.50 (for crappy food!) and middle school is $3.00. High School is $4.00. And these are public schools with not great food to begin with! So count yourself lucky with even your increased prices!

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That's what I thought when I first read about the boycott! I'd take the $2 lunch....

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

My neighbor is the director of food services for our local schools...I never say a thing about lunches!

Elementary $2.00
H.S. $2.50

My kidspack 75% of the time. We have a cashless system too.

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This sounds like what we do with the calendar!

Elementary and Middle School - $1.65 a day
High School - not sure
Adults - $2.25 a day

I eat the food when I sub and it really is quite good! Oven-fried chicken yesterday and it was delish.

In central Maine
Middle School and High School-$1.75 a day
Adults-$3.00 a day

I rarely eat the food when I sub, and when I do its a salad! The food doesn't look that great to me, and my middle schooll daughter takes her own lunch. They did start a healthy eating program this year, no more white breads, fried food, etc.

Wow, I knew we were paying waaaayyy too much, but you guys confirmed it for me! Our elementary and middle schools pay $2.20 per day! The jr. and high school is almost $3.

I have 3 kids in elementary and middle schools (total of 3) and lunches alone are about to kill us. They go up every single year too. I agree with the other posters, the food is crap too mostly. They have hot dogs one day, chicken nuggets the next, sloppy joe, pizza slice, etc. I know it's hard to get kids to eat most stuff so what do you do I suppose. I have also thought, you know I could go to McDonald's and get happy meals daily for about the same as I'm paying (I'm NOT saying the nutrition would be better of course, but you get the point). We do pack lunch a lot, but my middle schooler likes hot lunches in the cafeteria and so does my 6 year old. The kids are about tired of sandwiches already. Of course they don't get the expense lunch adds to the budget.

Glad (but sad) to know I'm not the only one in the boat with ridiculous lunch prices. It's over $120 a month for us to eat in the cafeteria, and my kids only do lunch (no breakfast, etc.). I think for Christmas this year, I'm going to request grandparents just 'pay lunch forward' ha ha.

My kids are just starting a new school on Tuesday.
Elementary 1.75 Junior High/High School 1.95

The lunch menu looks great.

They get a choice of 1 entree out of 4 in elementary and 1 out of 8 in the upper grades. They also get a choice of 3 sides.

I am going to try hot lunch for a while and see how it goes.

You can program their card online to whether or not they are allowed to buy ala carte items or meals only.
You can also place a daily spending limit.

How does that work if they aren't allowed to buy certain things? Do they have to put stuff back when they get to the checkout???

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

For those who have kids that like a hot lunch or are just tired of cold sandwiches, invest in a good thermos. I grabbed some of those funtainers from Target during the school supply markdowns and they are great for keeping food hot.
My ds hasn't taken a sandwich since we bought it, unless you count the left over sloppy joes I put in his thermos for him to make his own at school.
Now if I could just get my youngest to get off her pb kick, we could try her thermos

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At my school- a message pops up when the worker types in what the kids have bought (if it is on their no-no list). I had a parent call me screaming about how their child never bought extras & how we were ripping her off.

I went to the cafeteria & asked for a print out of what their "angel" and been buying. Double helpings (which cost a lot), fruit snacks, bottled drinks, ice creams etc etc. Now here with the online option, you can see what your child buys each day as well.

It is 3.00 for adult lunch here (although I have to get the same portion as the kids), and I swore to myself that I wouldn't buy lunch this year unless it is an emergency. I would rather pay 2.00 for a bag of salad mix, or a lean cuisine.

We elementary child pays $1.40 as does my middle school child. My high schooler pays $1.75 unless he goes to the snack bar and he spends alot more....because he'll get pizza, chips, cookie and a drink. I pay for his regular meal but if he eats from the snack bar, he has to pay out of his allowance.

sandy

Here for high school it is 1.15 full price for breakfast 30¢ for reduced. Full price lunch is 2.00 and 40¢ for reduced.
They have 5 things to choose from plus thier milk. Alacarte items is extra the lunches are not bad but it is the serving size that isn't great.

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It's still cheaper then Mcdonalds and I think a lot healthier

$2.50 here.