Welcome to the 2025–2026 school year! The Acton-Boxborough Food & Nutrition Services Department is excited to provide healthy, delicious meals to all students in our district. If you have any questions, please contact us at lunchonline@abschools.org or at (978) 264-4700 x15001

🍎 Free Meals for All Students

We are pleased to share that every student is eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. Please note that 2nd meals and ‘a la carte’ items are not free and will be charged to the student’s account.

Each meal includes an entree, milk, fruit and vegetables. We encourage students to take all the components.

Additional Meals & Pricing:

* Extra breakfast: $1.75

* Additional lunch (Elementary): $3.50

* Additional lunch (Junior High & High School): $3.50 to $4.50 (tiered pricing)

* À la carte milk: $0.50

* Other à la carte items are available at individual schools.

Monthly menus, ‘a la carte’ items and pricing and other info can be found within the Food & Nutrition Services lunch menu page.

📄 Free & Reduced-Price Meal Application

While meals are free for all, qualifying for free or reduced-price meals can provide your family with additional benefits, such as:

* Waived school and test fees (e.g., SAT, college applications)

* Discounts on internet and utilities

* Waived school fees such as afterschool care, athletic and music fees, field trips, etc

If you received an email from Food Services in August saying you qualified for free or reduced price meals, you do NOT need to apply again. If you did not receive an email and believe you may qualify, we encourage you to apply online. The portal opens on 8/14 for the RJGrey Jr High and 8/15 for Elementary and HS families. Paper applications are also available on the Food Services website or through your school’s main office.

🔄 Sharing Eligibility for Other School Benefits

When updating emergency information in PowerSchool, you’ll be asked if you want your child’s free/reduced priced meal eligibility shared for other school programs (such as waived afterschool tuition, athletic/music fees, SAT fees, etc.). Your permission is required to share this information, so please review these questions carefully during the PowerSchool update process.

💡 Financial Assistance Beyond Meals at School

Even if your family does not qualify for free or reduced-price meals, you may still be eligible for other district fee-based assistance (e.g., activity fees, transportation, and more). Visit the Financial Assistance for Families page to learn about the centralized process for applying.

💳 Cafeteria Purchases & Student Meal Accounts

Each student has a personal meal account accessed via their school-issued Meal ID/PIN. Students enter their PIN at checkout; younger students will receive assistance as needed.

PIN numbers remain the same throughout a student’s time in the district. If a student forgets their PIN, we can look it up, but this may cause delays—please help your child memorize their number. You will receive an email before the start of school with your child’s PIN number or see below for instructions on how to view your Student’s PIN in PowerSchool.

💵 Prepaying for Meals & À La Carte Items

We encourage families to add money to their student’s account for 2nd meals and a la carte purchases. To pay for additional items or meals:

Option 1: Send cash or a check (made out to “AB Food Services Dept.”) to your school cafeteria. Be sure to include your student’s name and Meal PIN in the memo line.

Option 2: Log in to SchoolCafe to pay online with a credit card (note: $1.75 transaction fee applies).

To split payments between multiple students, please include the Prepayment Form found here.

🧾 Manage your child’s meal account with SchoolCafe

With SchoolCafe, you can add funds via a credit card, set low balance alerts, view purchases, manage prepackaged a la carte items and apply for free/reduced price meals.

To create an account, you will need your Student’s ID and Meal PIN. See below for instructions.

📄 Finding Student Meal PIN and Student ID in PowerSchool

Your student’s Student ID, Meal PIN and meal balance are available in the PowerSchool Parent Portal on the ‘School Information’ page for High School Students and the home page for Jr High and Elementary School students.

⚠️ Food Allergies

Please make sure school nurses are aware of any food allergies your child has.

*Monthly virtual menus highlight the top 9 allergens. Virtual menus can be found here.

*We offer a prepackaged allergen-friendly meal (chicken, brown rice, and rotating vegetable) with 24-hour notice via this Google form.

*For questions related to the menu, please email nutrition@abschools.org

🤝 Additional Resources for Families

Acton-Boxborough Resource Center

The center offers free seasonal clothing and connections to local support programs.

15 Charter Road, Acton MA .

Open Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on the 1st Thursday of each month).

Visit the Resource Site anytime for up-to-date listings of food access, volunteer opportunities, and more

Acton Food Pantry

The Acton Food Pantry is committed to alleviating food insecurity. Visit us at the Acton Food Pantry website

Provides groceries via a drive-through service at:

📍 235 Summer Road, Boxborough, MA

🕙 Wednesdays 10 a.m.–7 p.m. & Thursdays 9:30–11:30 a.m.(Closed the week of the 4th Wednesday each month)

📞 Need a ride? Call Cross Town Connect: 978-844-6809 (24 hours in advance)

Backpack Program for Elementary Students

Receive a weekly bag of food sent home with your child. Contact your principal or email reddy@abschools.org