School Meals

Now is a great time to encourage your child to eat breakfast and lunch at school! All Pittsylvania County Schools participate in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Meals offered to students align with the nutrition recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and meet current state and federal nutrition requirements which are intended to enhance the health of students, and help lessen the childhood obesity trend.  Pittsylvania County Schools’ cafeterias are committed to serving students healthy, minimally processed, locally sourced, and made-from-scratch foods with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat milk. Meals offered are moderate in sodium, low in fat, free from trans-fat and meet students’ age-appropriate calorie requirements:

 

  • *Grades K-5 (Breakfast: 350-500 calories per day; Lunch: 550-650 calories per day)
  • *Grades 6-8 (Breakfast: 400-550 calories per day; Lunch: 600-700 calories per day)
  • *Grades 9-12 (Breakfast: 450-600 calories per day; Lunch 750-850 calories per day)

 

Meal Prices

For the 2024-2025 school year, all Pittsylvania County Schools’ students will receive both their breakfast and lunch meals free of charge. This is great news for families! No further action is required of parents or guardians. Every student will be able to receive a complete breakfast and lunch meal at no cost regardless of income. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does require that each free meal contain a certain number of food items.

  • *If your child chooses to bring their lunch from home, but wants to supplement their packed lunch with a school milk, the student must pick up at least 2 other food items (with one item being a fruit or vegetable) in order to receive the milk for free.
  • *Likewise, if your child wants to supplement their packed lunch, with a school fruit, the student must pick up 2 additional food items in order to receive the fruit for free.

 

Breakfast

Breakfast is offered every day at school, and all schools offer a Grab ‘n Go option. With Grab ‘n Go, students simply pick up their breakfast meal from the cafeteria or from a hallway kiosk and take it with them to their homerooms to eat while unpacking and getting settled for the start of the day. Students like the convenience of Grab ‘n Go and enjoy being able to eat in their classrooms with their friends.

 

Lunch

Eating a healthy lunch ensures that students get the proper nutrition they need throughout the day to concentrate and learn. All school cafeterias still prepare homemade items for lunch such as soups, salads, vegetables, and desserts. In addition, they offer premium, higher quality chicken and pizza items, all-natural (minimally processed, no artificial ingredients) turkey and ham products, and a nice variety of international favorites such as Mexican and Asian dishes. School lunches provide students with a healthful balance of foods and a variety of food options.

 

Extra Foods to Purchase

Students have the option to add money to their cafeteria accounts in order to purchase extra food items such as bottled water, juice, chips, or seconds of favorite foods such as pizza, chicken nuggets, and fries. Parents can add extra money to their children’s account for these items by sending cash or check or by paying on-line at www.myschoolbucks.com

  • *Free drinking water is available in the cafeteria during breakfast and lunch.

Student’s cafeteria account balances will carry over from year to year. Graduating senior account balances can be transferred to younger siblings’ accounts, or refunded upon request.

 

Menus

Breakfast and lunch menus are posted on the Pittsylvania County Schools’ website under the Parent link, and hard copies can be made available for students to bring home. In addition, nutrition education materials are shared with parents, and students through our monthly menus.

 

If you have questions, please contact the School Nutrition Program at 434-432-2761.