Some Houston County students will pay more for school meals during 2026-27 year
Houston County students at nine campuses will see higher breakfast and lunch prices in the upcoming school year after the Houston County Board of Education unanimously approved the adjusted meal prices Tuesday.
For the 2026-27 school year, student breakfast prices will increase from $2 to $2.25. Elementary school lunches will rise from $2.75 to $3.25, while middle and high school lunches will increase from $3 to $3.25.
Tuesday’s vote marked the district’s second meal price increase in three years — the board last raised paid meal prices in 2023.
| School Year | Breakfast | Elementary Lunch | Middle/High Lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-28 | $1.75 | $2.50 | $2.75 |
| 2023-24 | $2.00 | $2.75 | $3.00 |
| 2026-27 | $2.25 | $3.25 | $3.25 |
The Houston County School District said the increase is needed to comply with federal meal pricing requirements under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 and is intended to reduce the need for additional price increases in the coming years, according to its website.
The new student meal prices will apply only at nine Houston County schools that are not eligible to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal program that allows qualifying schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students.
Those non-CEP schools are Bonaire Elementary, Bonaire Middle, Bonaire Primary, Houston County High, Kings Chapel Elementary, Matt Arthur Elementary, Matt Arthur Primary, Mossy Creek Middle and Veterans High.
“While we wish we could serve meals at no cost to all of our students, the School Nutrition Program is federally funded and governed by USDA regulations,” Meredith Potter, director of school nutrition, said Thursday in an email.
The district estimates that a student who buys breakfast every day would pay about $45 more annually under the new prices, according to its website. Elementary students who purchase both breakfast and lunch daily would pay about $135 more per year, while middle and high school students who purchase both meals would pay about $90 more.
Students at the district’s remaining 31 schools will still receive free breakfast and lunch because they are federally qualified.
The board also approved increases to adult meal prices at all district schools, which would impact teachers, administrators, support staff and visitors. Adult breakfast prices will increase from $2.25 to $3, while adult lunch prices will rise from $5.25 to $6.
“According to USDA guidelines, the adult meal price must be set based on the cost of producing the meal,” the district said on its website. “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/visitor meals.”
District officials also said its school nutrition program has experienced rising operating costs in recent years, including increases in food, labor, supplies, equipment and utilities.
“At the same time, federal regulations require school districts to regularly evaluate paid meal prices to ensure they meet USDA pricing requirements,” Potter said. “Our recommendation reflects both of these realities while remaining committed to keeping meals as affordable as possible for families.”
Why do some students have to pay while others don’t?
The CEP, a federally funded program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, allows approved schools to provide meals to all enrolled students at no charge, regardless of economic status.
CEP eligibility is based on the number of directly certified students enrolled in a location compared to total student enrollment. Schools must have at least 40% of directly certified students to participate in the program.
Direct certification is a key measurement of poverty levels in Georgia.
Children may be considered directly certified if they live in households that participate in federal programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Medicaid. Foster, homeless, runaway, or migrant children also are included in the directly certified category.
“The higher the percentage of students who are directly certified through these programs, the more federal funding the school receives to provide meals at no cost to every student,” the district said.
The nine non-CEP schools in Houston County that will have to pay higher meals this school year do not have enough directly certified students to meet the requirement for the program, according to the district.
Families in non-CEP schools can complete an online application to determine qualification for free or reduced-price meals. Students may qualify based on household income.
“We understand that any price increase can be challenging for families. That’s why our team is committed to providing one-on-one assistance to any family who would like to complete the federal meal application,” and process them quickly, Potter said.
In 2023, Houston County Schools had 19 CEP sites compared to the 31 campuses now, according to the district.
The district said it continues to explore and advocate for opportunities that could allow more schools to qualify for free meals in the future but did not provide additional details about those opportunities.