Free School Meals for All Students

The South Orangetown Central School District is participating in the Child Nutrition Universal Free Meals program, which means school breakfast and lunch are free for all students for the 2025-26 school year!

What to expect:

• SOCSD will provide a complete breakfast and lunch to your child at no cost to you. No action is required of families for students to receive free meals. Although they will not be charged for free meals, students will still need to use their PIN at checkout.
• Menus will continue to be posted online. September menus will be available in late August.
• Snacks, drinks and additional meals will be available for purchase. Payments for school snacks are made through the MySchoolBucks online payment system. Students will need their PIN at checkout for purchases.

Families are still encouraged to apply for educational benefits linked to free and reduced-price school meals. 

• Enrollment is confidential and enables eligible students to receive waivers for college application fees, qualify for AP exam fee reductions, take a limited number of SAT exams for free and more.
• Applications are posted on the Food Service webpage and may be submitted anytime during the school year.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a complete meal? 

A complete breakfast consists of 4 items:

• Whole grains: 2-ounce equivalent serving (choose 1)
• Protein: 1-ounce equivalent serving (choose 1)
• Fruit: 4-ounce equivalent serving (choose 1 or 2)
• Milk: 8-ounce equivalent serving (choose 1)

Students must choose at least three items offered with one of those being a fruit or an incomplete meal will be charged at a la carte prices.

A complete lunch consists of 5 items:

• Whole grains: 2-ounce equivalent serving (choose 1)
• Protein: 2-ounce equivalent serving (choose 1)
• Vegetable: 4-ounce equivalent serving (choose 1 or 2)
• Fruit: 4-ounce equivalent serving (choose 1 or 2)
• Milk: 8-ounce equivalent serving (choose 1)

Students must choose at least three components offered with one of those being a vegetable or fruit or an incomplete meal will be charged at a la carte prices. 

Does this mean all food at our schools is free for students? 
No. The first complete breakfast and first complete lunch are free. Any additional meals or meal components are charged at a la carte prices. Snacks will also be charged at a la carte prices and are not included.

Do I have to do anything for my child to receive no-cost meals?
No action is required from parents to take advantage of this program. However, we do encourage families who believe they are eligible to apply for educational benefits linked to free and reduced-price school meals. 

For additional information, please contact Maureen Clancy at (845) 680-1009 or mclancy2@socsd.org with any questions.