Pricing and Payment

Meal Prices by Grade Level

Breakfast for all grades- $1.65 full price, no cost reduced price
Lunch for Elementary- $2.95 full price, no cost reduced price
Lunch for Middle- $3.05 full price, no cost reduced price
Lunch for High- $3.15 full price, no cost reduced price

View the complete A La Carte Price List

Parents who do not wish for their children to purchase meals, snacks, and/or beverages in school cafeterias must submit a completed opt-out form to their child's cafeteria manager. 

Stafford Schools understands that students may need to occasionally charge a complete meal. Charging of ala-carte items is not permitted. Parents and guardians are required to promptly repay all outstanding student meal charges.

Cafeteria snacks and beverages shall not be sold to students with negative meal debt. Students may continue to receive complete meals.

Stafford County School Nutrition utilizes an automated negative balance phone call system to help communicate charges to parents. Parents may monitor their child's account activity and balance online using schoolcafe.com. 

Families experiencing economic hardship are encouraged to complete a free and reduced meal application at any time during the school year.

Online payments to student meal accounts are made using School Cafe. In addition to paying for school meals, your free schoolcafe.com account makes it easy to:

• View cafeteria purchases
• Check your student’s balance
• Set up low balance alerts
• Schedule automatic payments

Visit School Cafe to sign up today!

Prepayments are made online using School Cafe. Viewing and monitoring your child's account online is free of charge. A convenience fee of $2.25 is charged and paid directly to School Cafe when making online prepayments.

Cash and check prepayments may be made at school. Checks should be made out to Nutrition Services with the child's name and student identification number on the memo line. All money collected for prepayments will be put in the student's account to be used for breakfast, lunch and/or a la carte. Parents who wish to set limits or restrictions on their child's account should contact their school cafeteria manager to activate this service.

All balances at the close of the school year will remain in the child's account and be accessible to the student at the beginning of the following year.  +The Virginia Code requires the surrender of funds that remain unused for a period of one year or longer (inactive students).

Students are encouraged to know their identification number and urged to not share this number with anyone.

REFUND: Parents/Guardians may request a refund of unused meal account funds.  To request a refund, simply download and complete the Refund Request Form (Spanish Refund Request Form). Please Disable Auto Repay on your student's School Cafe account before submitting the form.

TRANSFER: At any time, parents/guardians may request a transfer of funds between their children’s meal accounts. Simply download and complete the Transfer Request Form (Spanish Transfer Request Form). Please Disable Auto Repay on your student's School Cafe account before submitting the form.

DONATE UNUSED FUNDS: Unused meal account funds may be donated to help students with unpaid meal debt.  All funds donated will be applied directly to offset meal debt for students with the greatest need. Simply download and complete the Fund Donation Approval Form (Spanish Fund Donation Approval Form). Please Disable Auto Repay on your student's School Cafe account before submitting the form.