Lunch is arguably one of the most controversial topics at our school. Is it really reasonable to charge $3.50 for a lunch? And should free lunches to be more available to every student or just the ones that qualify through the school standards?

The nationwide average cost for high school lunches and breakfasts is $2.74 and $1.55, but for some reason, it’s $3.50 at our school. If the average student missed one week of school but bought lunch every day for the year, that would amount to about $612.25 per year, so if you were to add up all the years of lunch for a high school career, that would be close to $2,520. Not to mention the $1.50 for breakfast as well. Some kids get lunch for a reduced price of $1.40 or even for free. But what about the kids who do not qualify for free lunches on paper? I had a conversation with one of the cafeteria workers in the morning about the lunches. She said, “The qualification system is ridiculous.” And I couldn’t agree more.