The Dysart Unified School District will be participating in the National School Lunch Program and Community Eligibility Provision to offer healthy meals every school day.

Breakfast will cost $1.50, while lunch will cost $2.75 for elementary and middle schools and $3 for high schools.

But children may qualify for free or reduced-price meals for the 2025-26 school year.

Eleven DUSD schools are eligible for the CEP, meaning students there will receive one free breakfast and one free lunch every school day without having to pay a fee or submit a household application.

DUSD schools that qualified are Countryside Elementary, Dysart High, Dysart Middle, El Mirage Elementary, Kingswood Elementary, Luke Elementary, Riverview School, Surprise Elementary, Thompson Ranch Elementary, Valley Vista High and West Point Elementary.

Second meals and a la carte items will still be available to purchase at their paid rates. In lieu of a household application, parents should submit an alternate income form to apply for free or reduced-price meals at schoolcafe.com.

To qualify for a free or reduced-price meal, a household’s income must be at or below the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines, plus students must be attending a CEP approved site, belong to a household that receives public assistance. Children who are homeless, migrant, runaway, foster or participate in a Head Start or Even Start pre-Kindergarten program are also eligible.

Households will be notified of its children’s eligibility for free meals if they are members of households receiving assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, if the state program meets federal standards.

For information, call the Nutrition Department at 623-876-7075, or e-mail at nutrition@dysart.org.