FREE MEALS & ALA CARTE COST
Understanding Free Meal Programs and À La Carte Pricing
Posted on 08/02/2024
Did you hear the news that every student can receive free meals again in the 2024-2025 school year?
Thanks to the Michigan School Meals Program, a state-funded program that allows all students to receive meals at no cost for the 2024-2025 school year, breakfast and lunch will be free to all students.
Second meals are not free and will be considered ala carte. High school and middle school second lunches will be charged $3.00; elementary school second lunches will be charged $2.60. Adult meals are not covered under the Michigan School Meals Program.
Although all students can receive meals at no cost, it is still vital that eligible families fill out a free/reduced meal application: A school’s eligibility for federal Child Nutrition Programs such as Summer Food Service Program and others is based on free and reduced-price eligibility. Students and families may qualify for other program fee reductions based on their eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. Federal and state education finding uses free and reduced-price eligibility.
Please complete the 2024-2025 online application on our website under Free and Reduced Meals Information. Paper applications will be sent out this month and available at the district office and in all schools in August.
If/when your school begins offering ala carte items, please note that they will not be free and must be paid for with cash or through your student’s pre-paid food service account. Ala carte examples are bottled water, chips, cookies, and milk. Unfortunately, milk by itself is not free. To get milk, a complete meal must be received or can be paid for separately. Elementary students must continue to pre-order lunch one day ahead. Last-minute decisions to eat an elementary school lunch can result in shortages for other students that did order in advance.