Menus & Prices
Saturday Bulk Meal Distribution
(Updated 01/12/21)
Families may pick up bulk meals on Saturdays at West Middle School from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. on the bus ramp off of Franke Rd. (weekend meals for in-person students, weekly meals for virtual students). Meals are at no cost to all children 18 or younger or adults with disabilities under 26 and under.
MLK Day Meal Service Update
TCAPS schools will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2021, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Bulk meals picked up at the Saturday bulk meal distribution site at West Middle School on Saturday, January 16th, will include enough meals to include the Monday no school day.
For additional information, visit: www.tcaps.net/safestart.
No Cost Meal for Entire 2020-21 School Year
For the entire 2020-21 school year, all TCAPS students may receive breakfast and lunch every day at no cost.
For Students With Allergies
For students with allergies, please contact the school you will be picking up from so they can order the food required. Please fill out this 
form and return it to your pick up area so that we can legally substitute the needed food for the student's allergies.
**Apply Today for Free & Reduced Meals
Applications should be completed each year; these applications are also used for several other grant programs in TCAPS. In addition, students who qualify for free and reduced meals also qualify for college application fee waivers and SAT/ACT fee waivers. So please submit your Free & Reduced Meals Application here.
2020 Food Assistance Guide
View A Guide to Food Assistance and Eating Local for information on local pantries, food assistance programs, and more.
Pay on Your Child's Lunch Account
Add money to your student’s lunch account
TCAPS Meal Charge Policy
2020-2021 Meal Prices
2020-2021 Meal Prices
Hot breakfast and lunch is prepared and served on site daily. Fresh high quality foods and a wide variety of healthy choices are offered. All TCAPS’ schools offer breakfast and lunch options.
Elementary School Prices |
Middle and High School Prices |
| Student Breakfast – $1.50 | Student Breakfast – $1.75 |
| Adult Breakfast – $2.35 | Adult Breakfast – $2.35 |
| Reduced Breakfast Price - $.30 | Reduced Breakfast Price - $.30 |
| Student Lunch – $2.85 | Middle School Student Lunch – $3.05 |
| Adult Lunch – $3.85 | High School Student Lunch - $3.25 |
| Reduced Lunch Price - $.40 | Adult Lunch – $3.85 |
| Milk Price – $.50 | Reduced Lunch Price - $.40 |
| Milk Price – $.50 |
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
My School Menus App Updated - December 2019
The My School Menus app has undergone some updates that have made it more user-friendly. Users now have the ability to print the different customized menus (allergen filter, build a meal), toggle between pages, and the menus can be printed by month.
Please visit the app store related to your device to update:
iOS Devices (Apple/iPhone): Simply update to the newest version of the My School Menus app
Android Devices: Download the newest version of the My School Menus app, and delete the old version.
If you previously bookmarked the website, please be sure to update that to the new My School Menus link.
Interactive Online & Mobile App Menus [View Video Tutorial]
My School Menus interactive online menus allow for easy access to complete nutrition information for the school meal programs anytime, anywhere.
Features Include:
- Nutrient data by menu item - hovering over a menu item will show nutrient data
- Build-a-Meal nutrient data - choose build-a-meal to get totals of individual nutrients for all items chosen by a student
- Ingredient information for certain menu items
- Complete list of all food choices available to students
- Allergen identification - allergen filter to strikethrough foods containing the following allergens: wheat, soy, eggs, fish, peanuts, tree nuts, milk
- Attribute identification - symbols identifying foods as GMO-free, kosher, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, locally grown, made from scratch
- Translation to 180 languages using Google Translate
- Ability to link to child nutrition sites like prepayments, applications and policies
- Information about child nutrition
View Online School Menus
Download the My School Menus Mobile App in the iTunes store
or the Google store OR scan the QR Code on this flyer.
If you are unable to access these documents and would like a printed listing of the nutritional information, or if your child has individual nutritional needs, please contact the TCAPS registered dietitian at 231.933.1912.
Food Students Need to Include in Free/Reduced Meal Program
Qualifying for Free & Reduced Meal Reimbursement
Food Students Need to Include in their Meal to Get Credit for a Reimbursable Meal
Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) operates under the Offer vs. Serve Option for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.
To meet the requirements of the National School Breakfast Program, a school must offer a specified serving size of each of the following three food components:
- Fresh fruit, chilled fruit, vegetable or 100% fruit juice
- Low fat or skim milk
- Whole grain (2) (or optional credited meats/meat alternates)
A student must take at least three of the four offered food items for the breakfast to be counted under the National School Breakfast Program - one of which must be a fruit item. For grains (or meat/meat alternate offered for this component) and milk, the student must select the daily minimum required amount; and for the fruit component, the student must select at least 1/2 cup of fruit or vegetable. Students taking fewer than three items must be charged a la carte prices, as those items would not meet the requirements under the program for a reimbursable meal. Students have the right to decline the items of their choice.
To meet the requirements of the National School Lunch Program, a school must offer a specified serving size of each of the following five food components:
- Meat/Meat alternates
- Grains
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Fluid milk 1% or skim
A student must take at least three of the five required food components and one of them must be a fruit or a vegetable for the lunch to be counted under the National School Lunch Program.
One of the choices selected must be at least a 1/2 cup serving of the fruit or vegetable component or a 1/2 cup total serving of both fruit and vegetable. If 1/2 cup of fruit is selected, the student must select the full required daily serving of the vegetable component for it to be counted as meeting that component.
Within each component, different choices may be offered. Other than selecting the required minimum fruit or vegetable serving, it is the student's choice to select or decline a food component.
Students taking fewer than three components must be charged a la carte prices, as those components would not meet the requirements under the program.
If a student needs any help, please contact the Kitchen Leader in the school cafeteria or ask any of our cashiers for assistance.
Food Students Need to Include in their Meal to Get Credit for a Reimbursable Meal
New Vending Machines Offer Healthy Alternatives
Having access to healthy food items and meals outside of the normal cafeteria operating hours just got a little bit easier. TCAPS has installed two new vending machines in the cafeteria at Central High School as part of a pilot program. The vending machines contain healthy food items that meet the same federal nutrition regulations as all other food sold in the school cafeteria. Sample items include: salads, yogurt, sandwiches, fruit, granola bars, etc.
Students and staff can purchase snack items as well as meals qualifying under the Federal Free and Reduced Price School Meals Program using either cash or their meal accounts. For students who qualify for free/reduced meals, the purchase would count towards their daily meal allowance. View a tutorial on how to use the machines: