Meal Plan and Payment Procedures

2024-25 Breakfast and Lunch Prices

• Breakfast—$1.40 per meal*
• Lunch (elementary)—$2.70 per meal*
• Lunch (middle school)—$2.80 per meal*
• Milk—$0.45 per carton

Reduced-Price Meal Benefit

• Breakfast—$0.30 per meal*
• Lunch (elementary)—$0.40 per meal*
• Lunch (middle school)—$0.40 per meal*
• Milk—$0.45 per carton

Students eligible for free meal benefits are entitled to one breakfast and lunch at no cost.

* All purchased meals include one milk.

All meal payments must be made in advance. Payments can be made with cash, check, or by using SchoolCafé.

Your Grade K-7 student's meal balance will carry over to next school year.

• If your Grade 5 student has a balance at the end of the school year, this balance will be transferred to their account at the middle school they will be attending. Please contact the Nutrition Services coordinator at your school or the Nutrition Services office at 847-963-3928 to find out how much is left in your student’s account. 
   
• If your Grade 8 student has a balance at the end of the school year, this balance can be refunded or, if there is a sibling in a District 15 school, it can be transferred to the sibling’s account by submitting a written or email request to Heidi Mals, Nutrition Services secretary, at malsh@ccsd15.net, or phone 847-963-3930. 

Refunds will be issued by a District check and mailed home to the address indicated once a parent request has been received. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your Nutrition Services coordinator or the Nutrition Services office at 847-963-3928.

SchoolCafé is powered by PrimeroEdge, the leading school nutrition management software for K-12 school districts and food service providers in the United States. It allows parents to manage their child's cafeteria account. Apply for free or reduced meals. Make payments, view purchase history, and receive low balance alerts. 

• Stay informed about your student's lunch account activity.
• Make secure payments with Visa, MasterCard, or Discover Card. There is a 5% service fee to use SchoolCafé.
• Be notified on your phone when your student's account is low.
• Store your credit/debit card for quick and easy repeat use.
• Schedule deposits to occur in any frequency you choose.
• Parents may also apply for Free & Reduced-Price Meals through SchoolCafé.

SchoolCafé allows for access from the web or any mobile device. 

• The SchoolCafé website uses the most up-to-date security available. The online payment plan is an enhancement to the district’s existing pre-pay meal program. Cash or checks will still be accepted.
   
• The SchoolCafé apps for both iOS and Android are now available for download. They're free to install and they make your favorite features even easier to use. Download the SchoolCafé app today on the AppStore or Google Play

View the SchoolCafé Quick Card for instructions on setting up your account, adding students, making payments, and setting up low balance alerts.

For answers to frequently asked questions, and to get the most up-to-date help with this or any other information not covered here, please visit https://www.schoolcafe.com and select FAQs, or contact D15 School Nutrition Services at 847-963-3928.

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Benefits are available to children whose families qualify under federal guidelines. Application forms are available at school and online. 

Reduced-price meals are $0.40 for lunch and $0.30 for breakfast. Students who qualify for free milk/meal or reduced-price meals are entitled to both breakfast and lunch. If a student wishes to purchase a second meal or any a la carte items, the student must have cash available or money deposited in their account in advance.

Free meals are part of the federally funded Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, part of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Schools that meet eligibility requirements set by the program will receive free meals for all students, regardless of their economic status.

The following schools have met the eligibility requirements for the program. No application or action is required by parents/guardians for this voluntary program.

All students at the schools listed below are entitled to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each day:

• Conyers Learning Academy
• Central Road Elementary School
• Gray M. Sanborn Elementary School
• Jane Addams Elementary School
• Kimball Hill Elementary School
• Lake Louise Elementary School
• Lincoln Elementary School
• Stuart R. Paddock Elementary School
• Virginia Lake Elementary School
• Winston Campus Elementary School
• Carl Sandburg Middle School
• Walter R. Sundling Middle School
• Winston Campus Middle School

Please visit the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Schools page for more information.

All students have a meal account and P.I.N. (personal identification number). The P.I.N. number is the student’s 6-digit district ID number. These numbers are given to students on the first day of school. If your student was using a P.I.N. last year, that number will not change. Each student inputs their number on a keypad at the end of the serving line and their meal account is automatically debited. 

A student may use their meal P.I.N. account to purchase breakfast, lunch, milk, and/or á la carte. Spending limits can be set by contacting the nutrition services coordinator at your student’s school. You can also choose to not allow any á la carte or second meal purchases for your student. 

Meal accounts can not go negative when purchasing any á la carte items (including extra milk or second meals).

Notices will be sent home biweekly if your child has an outstanding balance. We ask that when the unpaid meal balance reminder is received, that money is sent with the student the following day or deposited via SchoolCafé. Students must have money in their account to purchase a la carte items or a second lunch.

If families need assistance in paying outstanding balances, they should contact Nutrition Services at 847-963-3929 to discuss alternative payment arrangements.

• All charges not paid before the end of the school year will be carried forward into the next school year.
• All graduating students must pay all charges in full. If a graduating eighth-grader has an unpaid meal balance on their meal account and has a sibiling in the district, the unpaid meal balance will be added to the sibling account.

Any student who is withdrawn due to moving out of the district or graduating is entitled to a refund of any money remaining in their account by submitting a written or email request or by a phone call to School Nutrition Services at 847-963-3929.