With classes back in session, school cafeterias have become some of metro Atlanta’s busiest restaurants.
School systems throughout the metro feed thousands of kids five days a week, across all grades. Lunchtime does not merely sate hunger and social needs; for many metro Atlanta children, a school lunch and snacks may be their primary source of nutrients for the day.
It takes a lot of effort, coordination, and people to feed that many kids on a weekly basis. To better understand how school lunch programs operate, Rough Draft spoke with nutrition professionals for Fulton County Schools and the DeKalb County School District.
Feeding thousands
Alyssia Wright, Ed.S., executive director for school nutrition at Fulton County Schools, estimates that the district serves lunch to approximately 41,000 students each school day. Fulton County comprises just over 100 schools, with 93 self-operating kitchens across the district.
All Fulton County schools serve breakfast and lunch, with after-school programs providing snacks to students, such as yogurt and fruit, or a cheese stick and Cheez-Its, paired with a carton of juice.
“If there is an after-school program that is offered in Fulton County, then school nutrition provides the snacks for those meals,” Wright said. Select à la carte items are also available for purchase.
Wright added that although elementary students consume the most meals during the week, middle and high school students have more food options.
“Elementary students have the least amount of time in the cafeteria, so we want to make sure that they [aren’t overwhelmed by] multiple choices,” she said.
Condus Shuman, the director of school nutrition at the DeKalb County School District, said its 125 public schools serve around 12.9 million meals to 90,000 students annually. This equates to roughly a 68% participation rate in the district’s meal programs, according to Shuman, covering breakfast, lunch, and after-school snacks.
Meeting needs
Public schools must create dishes that both satisfy the nutritional requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and children’s palates, while staying within a district’s allotted annual budget for meal programs.
During the 2025-2026 school year, it cost Fulton County Schools $5.20 to create one lunch plate, including labor and equipment; the most a Fulton student will pay for that lunch is $3.35. Similarly, it costs the DeKalb County School District a little over $4 to create one lunch plate. The most a DeKalb student will pay for lunch is $3.10.
The Fulton and DeKalb school districts charge most students for meals, but offer free meals for children who qualify for government food assistance. Reduced meal plans with lower prices are available for students with household incomes just above the economic threshold to qualify for free meals.
“Reduced is for those families that are over the threshold of qualifying for a free meal, but they’re under the threshold for what would be considered a full-pay student or family,” Wright said.
In 2024, the Georgia Department of Education announced it will fund reduced meal costs for public schools statewide. The USDA reimburses school districts for meals across all income brackets.
One of the biggest challenges faced by school districts like DeKalb, Shuman said, is preparing foods children will actually eat.
“[Kids] have to be involved in it,” Shuman said of developing menus for the school district. “They’re actually my customers.”
Pizza remains a favorite across the board. However, Shuman noted she’s seen more students reach for fresh fruit in the breakfast and lunch lines at DeKalb County schools. Wright said Fulton County students are particularly fond of the district’s chicken ramen.
Avoiding allergies
Shuman and Wright have worked in education for more than 20 years and have seen dynamic changes to school meal programs over the last two decades. This includes serving students more fresh produce, thanks to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.
Better allergen safety protocols are now in place at schools across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5.3% of children have food allergies.
While the district can’t control what children bring to eat from home, Fulton County Schools clearly list allergens for every dish served in its cafeterias.
DeKalb County schools take safety protocols around food allergies a step further, ensuring that a group of professionals knows every student’s allergens, rather than making each child solely responsible for the information. The district also doesn’t serve pork, reflecting demographic diets, and will substitute in chicken or turkey.
Budget cuts
Federal budget cuts put school meal programs like those within the Fulton and DeKalb districts at risk.
Last month, a report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) indicated that Georgia children may lose subsidized school meals and other safety net programs, like SNAP, due to budget cuts included in the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The new legislation tightens eligibility for safety net programs like free and reduced lunch at public schools, according to CAP.
With budgets tightening, Wright said Fulton County Schools recently let go of farmers providing students with local produce and meat. Shuman said similar cuts have been made at DeKalb County schools.
“We’ve lost some grant funding under the current presidential administration to where we were receiving a grant for local fresh fruits and vegetables under the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program [a USDA program], which allowed us to subsidize the cost,” Shuman explained.
Budget cuts aren’t exactly new to public schools. But despite these financial setbacks, Shuman and Wright said they’re committed to finding ways to prioritize serving nutritious meals to every child entering their cafeterias.
“I really believe in focusing on the plate for the student. Although there are a lot of challenges financially, I have not compromised the quality that I serve to my students,” Wright said.
“Sometimes I sacrifice costs to provide them something that they want because if they eat it, then, of course, the ultimate goal is that they will be nourished and ready for school.”
