Meal Prices

Why do prices for student meals increase periodically?Houston County School Nutrition is a part of the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs. Federal regulations require meal prices to meet specific price targets. When these targets are unmet, guidelines require programs to increase meal prices. Fortunately, for the families in Houston County, the most recent adjustment to student meal prices was for the 2023-2024 school year. Prior to that, prices had not increased since 2017. These increases aim to eliminate the need to increase meal prices again for several years and to comply with federal guidelines.

Why do prices for adult meals increase?Houston County School Nutrition loves our administrators, teachers, support staff, and parents. We realize that, at times, the increase may feel significant. However, the goal of the rise is to eliminate the need to increase meal prices again for several years and to comply with federal guidelines. Fortunately, the most recent price increases were in 2023, and before that had not increased since 2017. According to USDA guidelines, the adult meal price must be set based on the cost of producing the meal. Because the National School Breakfast and Lunch program is federally funded and supports child nutrition, the adult meal price must cover the total direct costs to ensure that federal reimbursements and student payments do not subsidize adult meals. 

Who qualifies for free or reduced-priced meals?

USDA sets guidelines specifying who qualifies for free or reduced-price meal benefits. Children receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Medicaid are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals in the cafeteria. In addition, children who meet the definition of foster, homeless, runaway, or migrant or are enrolled in their school’s Head Start are eligible for free meals. Children may receive free or reduced-priced meals if the household’s income is within the limits of the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines, released on July 1 each year.  

Does my family qualify for free or reduced-priced meals?
To see if your family qualifies for a free or reduced-price meal benefit, please complete a meal application using this link: https://www.nlappscloud.com. Applications become available sometime after July 1. Applying online is the fastest way to gain information concerning your family’s meal benefits. 

Why do all students at some schools receive meals at no cost?
With the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the National School Lunch Program now includes an additional meal program, the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP permits approved schools to provide meals to all enrolled students at no charge, regardless of economic status. Qualification to participate in CEP is based on the number of Directly Certified students enrolled in a location compared to total student enrollment. Children may be considered directly certified if they live in households that participate in Federal Programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Medicaid. In addition, foster, homeless, runaway, or migrant children are included in the directly certified category.

The following sites currently participate in this program for the SY2024-2025:

• C.B. Watson Primary
• Centerville Elementary
• David Perdue Elementary
• David Perdue Primary
• Eagle Springs Elementary
• Feagin Mill Middle
• Hilltop Elementary
• Huntington Middle
• Lake Joy Elementary
• Lake Joy Primary
• Langston Road Elementary
• Langston Road Primary
• Miller Elementary
• Morningside Elementary
• Northside Elementary
• Northside High
• Northside Middle
• Parkwood Elementary
• Pearl Stephens Elementary
• Perry High
• Perry Middle
• Quail Run Elementary
• Russell Elementary
• Shirley Hills Elementary
• Thomson Middle
• Transition Academy
• Tucker Elementary
• Warner Robins Middle
• Warner Robins High
• Westside Elementary and
• WIN Academy