How much are your kids school lunches?

[arminnie]

Here's a first hand view of inflation.

Lunches were 25 cents when I was in school (about 50 years ago) and we couldn't afford those.

Plus the meals were so disgusting that my mother almost gagged when she came for lunch one day and saw what the school lunches were.

I went to school with the kids from the projects and the local orphanage so many of them had to eat that crap.

 

[dawnball]

Lunch is $4.80, and you have to order it at least a day ahead of time (by 9am the day before).

Between the expense and the need to pre-order, we just skip it.

 

[nene0182]

Breakfast is $1.35 and lunch is $2.35. My son buys both everyday

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Ours went up to 2.75 a day this year. Roughly $55 a month if you buy every day. With three kids, it got me thinking ....thats $165 a month. Since my kids all HATE the school lunches, we just pack them everyday. I realized for us, it saves us a lot of money doing it this way since most days they take left-overs anyway. When they don't, its usually a turkey or peanut butter sandwich. So I guess my dinners actually cost less than I was thinking since they pretty much cover two meals for five people. What about you? How much are they? Do your kids like them? Just curious what others are paying in their districts?

1.95 for lunch. That is the only meal they are allowed to buy and it is rare now. We have two in school and it would be 80.00 a month. They cut back to one hot option and my youngest will only eat peanut butter and jelly so I make lunches nearly every day, well everyday so far but might have a day or two sometime during the school year.

 

[kmb584]

My daughter's in K and her school lunch is $1.90. I allow her to buy once a week and send her with a packed lunch on the other 4 days.

 

[minnie45]

$3.50 and have to be paid 1 month in advance/ private school

 

[jewjubean]

Ours was .75 per day in high school. I've heard it's gone up since then (about 7 years ago). Our food was great, they served pretty much something different every 2-3 weeks.

Our cooks served good food that is common around here- rice and gravy, Cajun spaghetti, gumbo and the usual stuff for south Louisiana. Heck I still miss the red beans and rice and the sausage and red sauce and rolls! I'm pretty sure they had a salad bar- but I don't remember it being very popular because the food was good.

 

[njmom76]

Wow! Most of these are so inexpensive. DD just started 1st grade in public school in NJ and lunch is 3.75. MS is 4 & I think HS is 4.25. She has bought a few days as she went to private daycare and K where lunch was included and she is used to a hot lunch. I just implemented that she can buy 2x/week because it adds up quickly. She always eats fruits and veggies and milk with hers at least! Just milk is .55 and I think she'll buy that on days she takes as she is a big milk drinker and I worry about milk sitting in a thermos all day.

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[tvguy]

Wow! Most of these are so inexpensive. DD just started 1st grade in public school in NJ and lunch is 3.75. MS is 4 & I think HS is 4.25. She has bought a few days as she went to private daycare and K where lunch was included and she is used to a hot lunch. I just implemented that she can buy 2x/week because it adds up quickly. She always eats fruits and veggies and milk with hers at least! Just milk is .55 and I think she'll buy that on days she takes as she is a big milk drinker and I worry about milk sitting in a thermos all day.

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My kids are out of school. so I had to look it up. These seem sooooo expensive to me, not inexpensive.
$2 here for High School and Junior High, $1.75 for Elementary. Milk is 40 cents extra.

http://nutrition.sanjuan.edu/index.php?page=menus&sid=3009112138120382 "target=_blank"

 

[DisneyHardin]

I'm in Louisville, KY and the school where I teach has free breakfast and lunch for all students.

 

[distherapy]

Ours is a little over $1,000/yr. for lunch (Labor Day through Memorial Day - it's a short year), but it's a great lunch. Drink is extra - maybe $150/year. Optional for the younger grades but required for high school.

 

[tvguy]

I'm in Louisville, KY and the school where I teach has free breakfast and lunch for all students.

The school district next to us has free breakfast and lunch for about half the students based on their parents household income. Free to them, school makes a little profit on them, and the Feds pickup the tab and provide some of the food.

They very aggressively try and get kids to sign up since they make money on it. They say up to 70 percent of their students qualify, but that 20% won't sign up, or don't want to sign up. They also run a free breakfast and lunch program during the summer too for these kids.

 

[Minnesota!]

Lunch is $4.80, and you have to order it at least a day ahead of time (by 9am the day before).

Between the expense and the need to pre-order, we just skip it.

We have to order ours a month in advance. Kind of a pain, but it certainly reduces waste!

 

[disney*mom*82]

I have 2 kids in elementary and 2 kids in high school.Lunch for both is $2.30 and $.40 for extra milk. They have 4 entree choices each day plus PB&J. I usually allow my two in elementary to eat school lunch once a week and one in high school usually eats daily and the other is a senior and he usually comes home or grabs something from a close restaurant. While I dont think the prices are too bad, it is usually cheaper and healthier for me to pack their lunch.

 

[tvguy]

I have 2 kids in elementary and 2 kids in high school.Lunch for both is $2.30 and $.40 for extra milk. They have 4 entree choices each day plus PB&J. I usually allow my two in elementary to eat school lunch once a week and one in high school usually eats daily and the other is a senior and he usually comes home or grabs something from a close restaurant. While I dont think the prices are too bad, it is usually cheaper and healthier for me to pack their lunch.

After all the stories about schools banning peanut butter, seems strange to see a school serving pband J's

 

[mjkacmom]

Wow! Most of these are so inexpensive.

I know! I had no idea how much more we pay for lunch here.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Here, elementary is $2.50 (went up 25 cents this year, had been $2.25 for several years).

Middle and high school is now $2.75 (went up 25 cents also).

Our district privatized the school lunch program a couple of years ago. Before that, my oldest ate the cafeteria lunch only rarely and my youngest, never. Since the new company took over, my oldest eats twice a week (usually a chicken sandwich or pizza) and my youngest eats maybe twice a month. A lot of parents here complain and say their kids hate the new menus, but my kids have eaten more since they privatized.

 

[TreslovesWDW]

I agree luch has gotten expensive at school last year I think it was up to 1.95 or 2.00 they had free breakfast for a few years and this year free breakfast and lunch free for all kids all schools

 

[disneysmyhappyplace]

Elementary school lunches for our kids are $2.50. And middle/high school lunches are $3.25! Crazy!

 

[memy26]

My kids are done with school but it's very easy to look it up. Very few in our district qualify for free lunches or even the reduced price.

• Elementary level - $2.65
• Middle School level - $2.85
• High School level - $3.00
• Reduced price lunch - $0.40 at all levels.

TBH, I think that it would cost at least that much to pack a lunch and purchase a carton of milk (which is included in the school lunch). By the time that you include a healthy protein, a grain, 2 vegetable servings, fruit, and maybe a cookie -plus the cost of baggies, plastic wrap, or replacing the reusable containers that the kids either lose or throw away by mistake - you're probably spending more on the packed lunch.

Our district allows students to "create their own meal" for a flat price. As long as the student chooses at least 3 (and no more than 5) from the following list and include either a fruit or vegetable, they've made a meal:

fruit
vegetable
milk
whole grain
protein
​

So, pizza + milk is not a meal but pizza + fruit is because pizza is both a grain and a protein source.

Ours is close to yours, elementary lunch is $2.35 and middle and high school is $2.50. The students may get as many fruits and vegetables as they want, so if the student wants 10 apples they can have 10 apples. The only thing that is limited is potatoes, they may only get one potato product without having to pay extra. Also breakfast is free for all elementary students so for 2.35 a day they can get breakfast and lunch. You can't pack a healthy breakfast and lunch for that price