Purchase Meals

  • 2025-26 Meal prices 

    Effective July 1, 2025:

    Menus for all schools

     

    Elementary

    • Reduced-price breakfast (for eligible students): $.30*
    • Full-price breakfast: $2.00
    • Reduced-price lunch: (for eligible students) $.40*
    • Full-price lunch: $3.75

    Middle and High

    • Reduced-price breakfast (for eligible students): $.30*
    • Full-price breakfast: $2.25
    • Reduced-price lunch: (for eligible students) $.40*
    • Full-price lunch: $4.00

    Adult/Staff

    • A la carte pricing

     

    *These meals are currently free thanks to funding from the North Carolina state legislature. Check if your child’s school participates in our Universal Free Breakfast Program or the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), where all students receive free meals with no application needed.  

    Smart Snacks: healthier by design

    We follow the USDA’s Smart Snacks Standards to make healthy snacking easy. All snacks sold in our cafeterias:

    • Meet nutrition guidelines for lower calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats
    • Must list a whole grain, fruit, vegetable, dairy, or protein as the first ingredient and meet strict nutrition standards
    • Are higher in essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber
    • Include student favorites, like specially made Pop-Tarts and ice cream that meet these standards

     

    Meal Charges Policy

    If a student forgets their lunch money, they can still receive a meal. However, charges may not exceed the cost of three days of meals (breakfast and lunch combined) based on current prices.

    • Students cannot charge a la carte items if it causes a negative balance.
    •  Adults may not purchase any meal or a la carte item that would cause a negative account balance 

    Notifications of low or negative balances in a child’s meal account will be sent to families and the principal during the school year. Balances must be paid in full by the last day of school. Prepayments go toward any negative balance first. For more information, see Policy Code: 6220 Operation of Child Nutrition Services.

     

    Easy online payments and monitoring with MySchoolBucks

    Create a free account at MySchoolBucks.com or call 855-832-5226. You’ll need your child’s student ID. With MySchoolBucks, you can:

    • Securely deposit funds into your child's account using a credit/debit card. *A small per-transaction fee applies. To avoid fees, you may send a check or cash to your school’s cafeteria.
    • Check balances
    • Set spending limits
    • Check your student's purchases
    • Receive free alerts when your student needs funds to make purchases 

    Low balance alerts and purchase controls

    Families of elementary and middle school students receive automatic low/negative balance alerts on Wednesdays. To opt out, call 919-856-2918.

    Want to control snack purchases? Talk to your school’s dining manager to:

    • View your child’s purchases
    • Set limits (e.g., snacks on Fridays only)

     

    Other payment details

    • We use CHECKredi as our check service provider. Your check should include your full name, street address, and phone number. By writing a check, you authorize service charges and processing fees to be debited from your account. Questions? Contact CHECKredi at (800) 686-9522.
    • Donations, Refunds, and Monetary Transfers

     

    Questions about AutoPayments

    For questions about AutoPayments, contact Child Nutrition Services at 919-856-2918.