school lunch prices

[maddiel]

My DD14 is in junior high where they have just gotten cafeteria service. Hot lunch options are about $4.00 to $4.75 with a drink and there are a la carte choices as well. We bumped up her allowance by $10 a week and she can decided if she wants to buy or bring - we figured $10 would cover every second day. She seems to be about half and half, but since it's so new she's still waiting to see what she likes and what she doesn't.

DD7 brings a lunch every day except Wednesday when we can order a mini pizza for $2.50 They also have the option to order milk/chocolate milk on a term by term basis, but since she wouldn't finish it and it kept leaking all over her school bag we don't buy it. Her school does not have a cafeteria.

We also have to pay for supervision at lunch. Bus students stay for lunch for free but walkers pay. $200 a year in elementary and $180 a year in junior high.

M.

 

[ZachnElli]

DD8 takes hers at least 90% of the time. It's $1.75 in elem. She takes hot food in a thermos, you aren't restricted to just sandwiches when you take food. She just doesn't like school food unless it pizza or spaghetti.

DS12 is in the it's "uncool" to take category, so he buys. It's $2.00 in middle, but there is an ala carte line too, but I don't let him get in it. It's too expensive and unhealthy. His school doesn't allow for us to block certain purchases in the ala carte line, it would be nice if they would

It doesn't matter to me either way if they take or buy. I do make DD help me make her lunches, this morning she even wrote herself a note to put in it!

 

[piglet too]

My kids are at two different schools, but same lunch menu and prices. The older two (my boys) buy pretty much every day, but there are weeks that they don't buy at all. My DD on the other hand hardly ever buys, she would much rather I send her a salad and olives.

Lunch is $1.75, $0.95 for extra entree and $0.30 for milk. There are snacks that they can buy, but we very rarely let them do that. The district has a "lunch account" that we pay into, and the lunches come out of that. If they want extra entree or extra milk, that has to be paid with cash (as do the snacks)

ETA ~ I have been told that lunch at the high school easliy costs $5 a day, for a burger, fries and a drink. DS13 will be in HS next year, and will be bringing lunch a lot more then, $5 a day is just oo much IMO.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

My brother ,sister and I all buy our lunch every day (unless they have a field trip and have to pack).,
Theirs is $1.60 (elem) and they have a choice of 2 hot entrees or a PBJ plus a bread or rice, hot veggie, fruit sauce , milk and unlimited fresh fruits and veggies and mine is $1.80 (hs) basically the same structure except I have 5 different entrees to choose from or I can go ala carte (but that does run the cost up).
My mom likes that we have access to all the fresh fruit and veggies we want everyday. My brother and sister usually only want to pack PBJ anyways so by choosing that on the days they don't like the main entree choices works out good.

What a great lunch program, and it's about the same price I pay for the regular fatty, carby stuff for my kids!

My DD14 is in junior high where they have just gotten cafeteria service. Hot lunch options are about $4.00 to $4.75 with a drink and there are a la carte choices as well. We bumped up her allowance by $10 a week and she can decided if she wants to buy or bring - we figured $10 would cover every second day. She seems to be about half and half, but since it's so new she's still waiting to see what she likes and what she doesn't.

DD7 brings a lunch every day except Wednesday when we can order a mini pizza for $2.50 They also have the option to order milk/chocolate milk on a term by term basis, but since she wouldn't finish it and it kept leaking all over her school bag we don't buy it. Her school does not have a cafeteria.

We also have to pay for supervision at lunch. Bus students stay for lunch for free but walkers pay. $200 a year in elementary and $180 a year in junior high.

M.

What is their logic in charging the walkers and letting the bus students stay free? Isn't lunch in the middle of the day? Do you have the option to volunteer yourself and opt out of paying?

 

[MELSMICE]

Now that two of them are in high school, they buy every day as it is unheard of to bring your own lunch (the horror!).

OT, but this sounds like my oldest DD when she asked how she was going to get to school as a junior. When I looked at her funny & said she was going to ride the bus just as she has done for all the previous years she told me, "Mom, that is social suicide when you're a junior or senior".

I told her she better start digging her grave because we were not driving her every day!

 

[Daxx]

DS's school lunches are $1.75. They receive a hot entree, vegetable, fruit/jello/pudding/cookie (depending on day) and milk. He loves most of the meals so buys maybe 2-3x a week. They also have "options" -- tuna pita pocket, lunchmeat sandwich, PB&J sandwich, salad, or soup that you can buy in place of the main hot entree. All food is prepared right in the school cafeteria.

Lunches at my school are $2.40 and include a main entree (sometimes hot), vegetable, fruit/jello/pudding/cookie/juice and milk. I buy every now and then if something strikes my fancy. These are not made in our cafeteria -- we get them from a lunch program where we pre-order meals and they're pre-packaged and sent to our school daily.

I've had lunches in both schools (used to sub at DS's school) and IMO, I think that DS has better lunches than we have. I'd rather eat his school's food any day of the week!!!

 

[becka]

DS brings his lunch everyday due to allergies. He couldn't eat a thing that is served at school so it is a necessity. It sure would be nice to let him eat at school a few times a week. Having to pack a lunch is getting old very quickly and unfortunately there is no end in sight for many, many years (until he can pack his own ).

By law they would have to provide something for him but they told me if he ever plans to buy his lunch I will have to give them several days notice so they can figure out something he can eat.

 

[Stitchfans]

DD8 has always brought her lunch because she wants to. I'd love if she'd buy every once in a while because I start running out of lunch ideas. She's an only child and lunch is only $2 a day so the cost is not an issue for us.

Same here. DD13 buys her lunch every day too. Hers is also only $2. Next year at the high school lunch can run $2 or $2.25 depending on what the student chooses. The lunches come with an entree, juice, milk, and fruit. Or a small salad in exchange for the fruit. OR some pretzels, goldfish crackers, or animals crackers. I am aware of this cause I am a cashier at the high school.

Yes, I am the "lunch lady"

 

[disneydance]

I am a 13 year old and i always bring my lunch from home since our school districts food is disgusting many kids do that in our school district also lunch is 2.50 here but when ever i do buy lunch i have never got out w/ not paying more than $5.00's the only time i do buy lunch is when i dont have the time in the morning to make one. And then i usually buy Al-Cartes from the school cafe. Most times i will pay $10's and i get barely anything our school has over priced lunches

 

[Nancy]

I gove the girls 10.00 a week and they can buy what they want. Sometimes they decide to take a lunch, but they make it and put in what they want. I can't even remember the last time I actually made a lunch for them.

Now me...I make a lunch for me everyday!

 

[Papa Deuce]

Lunch costs $2.10 a day.... my kids get lunch at school, 3 - 4x a week. We talk about what is acceptable. And we also make sure they tell us what they ate...

 

[Pin Wizard]

School lunches are $1.65 where we are now. (So much better than $3.50 at a past private school!) DS started the year with school lunches. He felt he was putting on weight and stopped that! He packs his lunch every day.

 

[Pirate Me]

In our school, lunch is $30/month for each student and $5/month for reduced price.

 

[TiggerStac]

My DS's lunch is 1.50/day. He buys based on what it is. I let him get it if he wants. It has gotten him to try new foods!! DS is a very picked eater. The only thing he hasn't liked so far is the Tuna Boat...can't blame him, I'm not a tuna fan, either...but at least he tried it. It's usually a main course, a vege, a fruit, desert and choice of what kind of milk. On the days he doesn't get it, he gets just milk for .50.

 

[Liberty Belle]

My son buys his. He absolutely refuses to bring it (he's a freshman in high school). It costs $2 a day, if he doesn't get any extras. Not too bad.

 

[RadioNate]

ours our $1.85 per day. DS buys on the days he likes the food. Sometimes that is all 5 days sometimes it is none. He also won't drink milk so he has to buy a water or juice a la carte for $0.50.

I don't care about the cost. I find packing a lunch daily to be a pain. He also eats better (more, probably not healthier) when he is eating the hot lunch at school.

They also have breakfast for $1.00 but DS eats at home.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have to vote other, which is not a choice.

My 11yodd buys when she likes the lunch choice, which has turned into about, 4 times a month. She will buy a drink & snack sometimes even when she brings.
She also might buy breakfast if she feels hungry.
Lunch prices are 1.95 for "hot lunch".


My 16yodd buys daily and she spends at least 3.00 a day. She will bring RARELY!
High School "hot lunch" is 2.20, but there are al la carte foods that she buys as well or instead of the "hot lunch".

So it is expensive.

 

[PADISFAM]

DS 10 lunch daily is $1.70 & DS 5 lunch daily is $1.50. BK is 60 cents a day, but they eat @ before care @ the Y for 'free' NOT!

 

[bigbabyblues]

My DS takes his lunch almost every day. He's in first grade, and has probably bought lunch at school 3-4 times since he started kindergarten. He does buy milk everyday at snacktime. They have two microwaves in his classroom (small private school, no real 'cafeteria') and I usually send leftovers from dinner, or some soup, etc. Sometimes a sandwich, if that's what he wants. Their choices of things they can buy is VERY limited, and it never changes. I belive it's a choice of a hot dog, hambuger, or pizza for the main item, then they have various fruit, snack cakes/brownies, and chips. I can send fruit and raw veggies for him also.

 

[agnes!]

My DD hasn't bought her lunch since she went to Middle School (7th grade here). Parents had warned us in advance about how long/slow the lunch lines were there. She's now in 9th grade and even in high school always takes her lunch because she doesn't want to waste so much time in the lunch line.
Back in Middle School, I ate lunch with her a couple of times (I'd bring a 'treat' lunch). The lines to get hot lunch really were *incredibly* long...sometimes the kids would just be getting their food and sitting down with maybe only 10 (or even 5!) minutes to gobble it down.

agnes!