Free School Meals at Participating Schools!

This year, school meals at 60 of our schools are free, for every student. At these schools, there's no need to complete the Free & Reduced meal application. Free breakfast and lunch are provided to every student at every participating schools.

Many of our schools also offer free supper, and every summer, we sponsor the Free Summer Meal program at schools and community centers.

To learn more and to find the list of 60 participating schools, see the Free School Meals page.

Cafeterias at each of our schools provide hot and nutritious breakfasts and lunches to our students.

Some students enjoy our meals so much that they ask their parents or guardians to request the recipes so that they can serve these meals during vacation and school breaks.

One student writes, "The food is great! They let you have different choices in the cafeteria, but we call it our restaurant."

Students in elementary school can choose between two entrees at lunch. Middle and high school students select from a range of menu stations.

We know that children need a healthy breakfast and lunch in order to have energy for learning. Food services staff takes pride and joy in ensureing that all children receive a nutritious and tasty meal at school. In the 2020-2021 school year, 60 of our schools will be participating in the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) which provides free meals to all students at that school.

TUSD Meal Charge Policy

Due to the large amount of unpaid meal account balances, the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board voted on February 11, 2020, to approve changes to the district meal charge policy effective Monday, March 2, 2020.

The unlimited meal charge has been changed as follows when funds are not available at meal time:

• For Grades K-8 - a limit of 2 meals (all menu options) will be charged to the meal account, after that the student will receive an alternate meal charged to the meal account.
  2019-2020 meal prices:
  • K-8 reduced price breakfast $0.25, reduced price lunch $0.40
  • K-5 breakfast $1.25, lunch $2.30
  • 6-8 breakfast $1.50, lunch $2.80

  Alternate Meal at Breakfast: bagel, fruit and milk  
  Alternate Meal at Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich, fruit, vegetable, and milk

• For High School– if funds are not available at meal time, an alternate option will be offered and charged to the meal account.
  Alternate option for both Breakfast and Lunch: cheese stick and fruit ($0.50)

We will continue to notify families of unpaid balances through email, phone calls and letters.

If you believe that your family is eligible for free or reduced meals please complete the online meal benefit application at: https://mealapp.tusd1.org/ Or call the Food Services Department at 520-225-4700 to complete the application over the phone.

How You Can Help

Tucson Unified has created a Together Every Kid Eats portal where members of the community can donate money to help feed children. These funds are used to provide students with seamless service and a reimbursable meal following USDA guidelines when students' meal accounts are empty. Food Services will work with families to bring the meal accounts to a positive balance without overt identification. For more information, see the Together Every Kid Eats webpage.

Artisan Bakery

Bring the fun back to food with house-made baked goods developed by our very own chef, Shyla Larson! This line falls under our catering department and is compliant with the Smart Snacks in schools federal nutrition standards. Using creative ingredients, such as applesauce instead of oils, is what makes our fun snacks healthy. These items are great for fundraisers, celebrations in the classroom, and meetings. See the Artisan Bake Shop flier (in PDF) for our delicious offerings and pricing.

Catering Services

In addition to the Artisan Bakery, our catering services also include Snack Shop, Pizza Parlor, and Cook Outs. See the Catering Brochure (in PDF) for complete listings and pricings.

Who can purchase?

Teachers - do you want a fun & healthy way to offer an alternative treat for a classroom celebration? Parent-Teacher Associations/Organizations - need baked goods for fundraising afterschool? Principals - need a way to elevate staff meetings? Group Coordinators - want a fun and healthy snack to provide your band, chess or student council groups? Try one of our delicious Artisan Bake Shop creations for your next event. Anyone can purchase these delicious baked goods for district-coordinated events!

Students in TUSD schools enjoy fresh produce direct from the farm. Local Romaine lettuce is one example of TUSD's farm to school efforts to bring local produce to our students. TUSD Food Services purchases local produce through the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in partnership with southern Arizona farmers to deliver more local produce to the Tucson community. Food Services has been purchasing 600 lbs of local lettuce per week to distribute weekly to several schools. The delivery schedule rotates so that all schools have the opportunity to include local lettuce on their lunch menu.

The photo at left features Romaine lettuce served at Palo Verde High School. The salads served at lunch were made with local lettuce grown in the center of Tucson by Merchant's Garden (a local greenhouse located at TUSD's former Howenstine High School, off of Tucson Blvd between Broadway and 22nd Street).

Fresh, local produce is one of the most effective ways to deliver nutritious (and delicious) meals to our students. Romaine lettuce is one of the tallest and sturdiest of lettuce varieties. It is high in fiber, potassium, vitamins A, manganese, and folate. It's also high in antioxidants, known to be one of most nutritious of lettuce varieties. We're happy to know that our students can enjoy their salads!