School lunch cost in your area?

**Nellonello** · 03-02-2011, 12:52 PM

$3.50 for elementary
$4.00 for highschool.

**Dancing Lotus** · 03-02-2011, 01:00 PM

Gosh some of those lunch prices are really high. My dd is in elementary and it's 1.70 a day. She rarely gets to buy because I don't approve of the food but once in a blue moon I give in:/ apparently it's not cool to bring your lunch.

**bumplett** · 03-02-2011, 01:09 PM

<~~ Same as Lady V

Private school, small kitchen, lunch is catered.

Choices rotate: Chik-fil-a day, Mexican day, Subway day, Pizza day, I don't remember the 5th?

Lunch is $3.50/day - paid for the week in advance so lunches can be ordered.

What I want to know is WHERE does the lunch go if a kid pays & is out sick one day? I KNOW they don't wrap it up & send it home..... so who eats it??

Anyway, my kids pack a lunch. Every day. No complaints here - they have always been lunch box kids so I guess they are used to it. And they love it when I send brownies.

**ImEmile** · 03-02-2011, 01:22 PM

The kids pay $2 for their lunches. When I sub I pay $2.50. I usually get called the morning of so don't have anything planned for me.

The kids like the idea of buying their lunch, especially if they're having cinnamon rolls or certain cookies, but I make them take their lunch. I recently invested in 3 Thermos brand containers for taking leftovers. I've made pasta, soup, chicken and rice, and then sent it the next day as well. They complain less when I send them with that!

But the oldest is in 8th grade. He gets an allowance. If he wants to use any of his money for school, that's his business. But I don't unless something happens to upset the plan and I need them to be able to buy school lunch.

I suppose if you have an older kid who wants school lunches, let him/her pay for it out of their allowance. Might start packing their own lunches then.

**dancemommy** · 03-02-2011, 01:58 PM

Our middle school and high school lunches are $2.25. Both of my older kids buy lunch. My oldest is a sophomore and I feel like his lunch is a great value! He can choose pasta, salad, or nacho bar, "subway" station, or gourmet pizza. He usually gets a 6 inch sub on wheat with all kinds of great toppings (just like subway), 2 fruit sides and a drink for $2.25- I feel like that is a good deal. In Middle school they don't have as many choices, but they have a few choices. My daughter usually goes for a junky lunch unforunately though- she tends to get a big pretzel or nachos with cheese and some fruit. Could be worse, but not what I'd prefer for her. I still let her buy though- she packs maybe once a week. Our elementary school aged kids take lunches every day except on the breakfast for lunch day- they love that day. I keep a little extra money in her account though in case we have something come up and no time to pack. I'm so glad that our high school kids don't have an open campus where they can leave for lunch. We had that when I was young and I LOVED it, but as a parent I would not like my child leaving school during the day or eating out every day- expensive and dangerous.

**DeliaDawn** · 03-02-2011, 02:00 PM

My 5th grader's lunch costs $1.75 per day. He attends a rural county elementary school. Most of the time he likes what they serve but always wants to carry a lunch from home on spaghetti day. I've talked with one of the ladies who works in the cafeteria and she says a lot of the items are handmade. A number of people have told me they do serve the most delicious yeast rolls.

**Momto5RN** · 03-02-2011, 04:22 PM

in our area the K-8 is 2.75 a day the youngest buys the younger dd bags it ( misses too much chat time waiting in line LOL) youngest doesnt like PBJ or lunchmeat much so its easier to let him buy than have him possibly waste food from home.

i use to rarely buy them lunch until i found out that one day when my youngest was in all day K twice he paid with invisable money and since he was so small for his age with big blue eyes they thought he was so funny and let him do it .

they told my oldest son who was working there on college srping break who forgot to tell me and i asked why the youngest had a stuffed turtle and he said he won the weekly prize at lunch i said - but you dont buy lunch -and then i found out the story LOL

i was so worried that he would still want to buy with invisable money i gave in ( he was a determined little kid esp when someone thought he was funny and cute )

Plus it seemed the snacks i would buy just disappeared and " nobody and i dunno " was taking them and by the time i ran around buying extra snacks and juice boxes i really wasnt saving that much money in the long run and my fibro was bad and it was just easier to let him buy .

the older kids in HS can cost about 5$ a day for a full lunch or they can get just a salad from salad bar or cut back money by not getting main entrees or drinking from water fountain instead of buying juice

i give the kids in HS 100$ a month spending $ ( some would call it allowance - i dont ) once a month

they have to budget it to cover lunches - if they want $ for a movie or to save for a video game they brown bag or get a burger with no fries or use water fountain to save some money so they can spend it on something else.
Has really taught them good budgeting skills .
just like if i decide to buy pizza i have less for food shopping
or if spend my free spending money on one thing i cant have it for another even my spendthrift older dd would make up a list of what she wanted to do with her $ make choices of putting something back for next month etc

**Palooka** · 03-02-2011, 11:16 PM

Lunch is 2.00. Thank goodness DD graduates this year, so less expense!

**Missourimom** · 03-03-2011, 10:02 PM

We pay $2.00 a day for our 4th grader and that includes milk. If she was on reduced lunch it would only cost .40.

**Trishagirl** · 03-03-2011, 10:06 PM

my son got reduced lunch & now he get free lunch til the end of the school yr since dh was laid off but now he's back to work. Glad for that it really helps us not having to worry about paying for his lunch.

**Neeley** · 03-04-2011, 04:18 PM

DS goes to a private Catholic school. Lunches are catered by local businesses run by Catholic families. Cheezie's Pizza, Chik-Fil-A, King's Table, Flip's and Jim 'N Nicks.
Lunch $4.75/day

He buys about seven out of ten days. I don't limit the number of days he can buy.

DD goes to a public school. Lunches are the typical nasty, high fat food that classifies fries as a veggie.
Lunch $2.00/day

I send her and her BFF a lunch daily. They are only given twenty minutes to get through the lunch line, eat and cleanup. If they take their lunch, they can take their time eating, not standing in the overcrowded lunch line. I did a breakdown of how much I spend on average for their lunches and it is more than the $2.00/day the school lunch would cost. But, they each get a good sandwich, a banana, a salty snack, a desert and a bottled water.

**flashyMcGee** · 03-08-2011, 09:13 PM

My entire district is free lunch for students.

**sahm2boys** · 03-09-2011, 02:06 PM

my oldest just started kindergarten this year and his lunch is $2.25 a day
i pack 90% of his lunch..BUT they will let the kids buy with out having cash in their account (they have pin numbers like a debit card...i hate it) well he abuses the system for a 6 year old...he'll ask to buy and ill tell him no your lunch is in the bookbag, then he will come home and say he HAD to buy lunch because he "forgot it" or his back pack was to "dark" inside to see it..(its yellow sponge bob lunch bag) and many times he apparently talks alot and gets in the line to go lunch w/o his lunch and they wont let him back out of line to get it...

**Labontet** · 03-09-2011, 04:18 PM

My grandson's elementary school lunches are $1.70 per day full price. My daughter was paying 40 cents a day last year for reduced lunches but was increased to full price this year because she got a higher (?-yeah right) paying job.

**OhPioneer1806** · 03-09-2011, 05:33 PM

I have two kids in high school and lunch is $2.25 a day and there are numerous choices for that amount of money (two hot entrees to choose from, a meal salad, a soup, sandwiches etc. can all be chosen as the main component of the lunch). My kids get lunch for one reason: I used to work in that cafeteria and I know that unlike the majority of public schools most of the cooking is done the old fashioned way, from scratch, and that the food service director is very health conscious and aware of the recent guidelines for making his kitchen conform to requirements for the amount of fat and sodium in the foods they serve. And for the most part it tastes pretty darn good too.
I took a page out of his book when I landed the cafeteria manager/head cook job I have now at a small private school.
As parents if you think the quality of the food served in your children's cafeteria is not up to par call or write your food service director with your concerns. And if she/he is unresponsive then take the matter up with the school board!