School Nutrition

Click here to see what is being served each week at your child’s school. 

A breakfast meal includes an entree made with grain and/or protein, fat-free or 1% milk, and fruit and/or juice (limit of one juice per meal).  A lunch meal includes an entree made with grain and/or protein, fat-free or 1% milk, vegetable, and fruit.  

Breakfast is $1.40 for students (all grade levels) and $2.00 for adults. Lunch is $2.90 for students in grades K-5 and $3.00 for students in grades 6-12.  The price for adults is $4.00.  There is no charge for students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals (the 40 cents charge for reduced-price meals has been waived).    

A la carte items are available for purchase on an individual basis. 

A la carte items are available for purchase at all schools. To view instructions on how to opt out, click this link.

There are 45 schools that qualify for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program.  All students at schools involved in the CEP program receive meals free-of-charge.  Students who attend one of the following schools do not have to pay for breakfast and lunch and do not have to fill out an application for free or reduced-price meals.

Ashbrook High School
H.H. Beam Elementary
W.B. Beam Intermediate 
W.A. Bess Elementary
Bessemer City Central 
Bessemer City Middle
Bessemer City High 
Bessemer City Primary 
Brookside Elementary
Carr Elementary
Catawba Heights Elementary
Chapel Grove Elementary
Chavis Middle School
Cherryville Elementary
Cherryville High School
Costner Elementary
Stuart W. Cramer High School
East Gaston High School
Forestview High School
Gardner Park Elementary
Grier Middle School
Hunter Huss High School
Holbrook Middle School
W.C. Friday Middle School
Kiser Elementary
Lingerfeldt Elementary
Lowell Elementary
McAdenville Elementary
Mount Holly Middle
North Belmont Elementary
North Gaston High School
Pinewood Elementary
Pleasant Ridge Elementary
Rankin Elementary
Robinson Elementary
Sadler Elementary
Sherwood Elementary
Southwest Middle School
Springfield Elementary
Stanley Middle School
Tryon Elementary
Warlick Academy
Webb Street School
Woodhill Elementary
York Chester Middle School

Parents with a child at a non-CEP school (see list above) are encouraged to apply to receive free or reduced-price meals.  Eligibility is based on household income and the number of people in the household.  The application (in paper format) can be picked up from the school office or school cafeteria or at the School Nutrition Office, 500 Reid Street, Lowell.  The application (in electronic format) can be completed by clicking here.

Cash, checks, and money orders are acceptable forms of payment in school cafeterias.  Parents wishing to pay by credit or debit card may click here to set up an account on the LINQ Connect portal.

If a student has a special dietary need and/or the need for a unique meal time, parents should complete a diet order form; the form must be signed by a recognized medical authority.  Contact the school cafeteria manager, the school nurse, or the School Nutrition Office, 500 Reid Street, Lowell, for a diet order form or click here to download it from the Gaston County Schools website.

Please note that students who have had a diet order form on file in the past are being asked to complete a new form this year.  The new form will be in effect until the school receives written or verbal notification from the parent or recognized medical authority that the diet order is no longer needed.