The National School Lunch Program is partially funded by the federal government, based on the income of each child’s family. The average subsidy per child in our district is $1.40 for lunch and $1.05 for breakfast. Adult lunches are not subsidized at all, that’s why they pay more for the same size portion.

Prices for breakfast and lunch are reviewed yearly. There are many factors that effect our school district’s ability to break even.

• Rising food and labor cost
• Number of school sites and employees
• Equipment purchases and replacement

Each school districts funding is unique. Rio Rancho is very affluent in comparison to most school districts in the state. This has an adverse effect on the amount of funding receive. Food cost ($.84 per meal) is the largest portion of each meal served (breakfast & lunch), followed by labor cost ($.80).

To decrease food waste in the breakfast and lunch programs, we utilize the “offer vs. serve system”. Students must select and entrée, then they choose between one to four additional items. Students are allowed to self-serve many side dishes, giving them control over portion size.

Rio Rancho Public Schools works with the Sodexho Management Team to determine a suggested price for each meal. The Rio Rancho School Board makes the final decision after public discussion. Prices are only increased when necessary to maintain the program’s ability to cover all of it’s cost. The Food & Nutrition Services fund is not supported by the General Fund and is a non-profit entity.

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