Meal Prices and Payment
Student Meal Prices School Year 2024-2025
Breakfast and the afterschool snack and supper programs (where applicable) are universally free for DCPS students. DCPS students who are approved for Free and Reduced-Price Meal (FARM) benefits, or who attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school will receive their first lunch at no charge.
The grace period for students who qualified for free lunch during school year 2023-2024 will end on the following dates:
- Grades Kindergarten - 12th: October 7th, 2024
- Grades PK3-PK4: October 10th, 2024
Meal charges for students who have not submitted a FARM application for SY24-25 will resume after those dates.
Details on qualifying for free lunch based on household income can be found here: dcps.dc.gov/farm.
2024-2025 Student Meal Prices
| Paid Meal Price Status | Free/CEP Meal Price Status | Reduced Meal Price Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Free | Free | Free |
| Lunch, 1st time through the line | $3.00 | Free | Free |
| Lunch, each additional | $3.00 | Info Coming Soon! | Info Coming Soon! |
| Snack (where applicable) | Free | Free | Free |
| Supper (where applicable) | Free | Free | Free |
| Milk | $0.35 | $0.35 | $0.35 |
Student Meal Accounts
Student meal accounts function as debit accounts. When a student goes through the lunch line to receive a meal at non-CEP schools, they give the cafeteria manager their name or student ID number. The cost of the meal is deducted from their student meal account (no charge at CEP schools).
If there are insufficient funds in the student's meal account, the student still receives a meal, and the student meal account will reflect a negative balance with the associated cost. Note that parents and guardians are still responsible for satisfying all meal costs due by the end of each school year.
How to Set Up a Meal Account
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Register: Create an account at linqconnect.com/register.
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Verify Account: Verify account by clicking on the email verification link sent to the provided email address.
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Sign In: Now you can sign in at https://linqconnect.com using your email and password.
Please note that all student and identifiable staff meal account balances automatically rolled-over to LINQConnect on October 6th, 2023. Learn more about this shift and how it impacts you in this quick Q & A document.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] or give us a call at (202) 299-2159.
You can add funds to your students' meal account in two ways:
- Pay with a credit or debit card by creating an account at LINQconnect.com; an online prepayment service used by DCPS FNS.
- Setup SMART PAY to automatically add money to your student's account whenever it reaches a low balance
- Receive low balance notifications to remind you when funds are low
- Say goodbye to service charges! Load money onto your students’ meal account at no cost to you.
- Send a check or money order made payable to the DC Treasurer to the following address:*
DCPS Food and Nutrition Services
ATTN: Nadine James, Meal Accounts
1200 First Street, NE, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20002
*The student ID# MUST be included on the check!
LINQ Connect FAQs
LINQ Connect Preguntas frecuentes
Negative Meal Balance Notification
Throughout the school year, parents/guardians of students with negative meal balances will receive courtesy communications through email and text regarding meal balances and instructions on how to add money.
There is no limit to the negative balance a student can accrue. There are no alternative meals served to a student with a negative balance. Students will continue to accrue a greater negative balance until additional funds are put into their account. When funds are put into a student's account, it will first pay off the negative balance. If a student's negative balance is not paid at the end of the school year, it will roll over into the next school year.
Request a Refund from a Student Meal Account
Refund requests may take up to 12 weeks to process. If you would like to request a refund of the money in your student's meal account, please complete this refund request form. If you would like to transfer funds between your students' accounts, please email [email protected] or call us at 202-299-2159.
Deactivate a Student Meal Account
By deactivating a student's meal account, the student will not be able to receive a meal or milk during lunch. They will still be able to receive free breakfast and afterschool snack or supper. This ensures that there will be no lunch or milk charges to a student's account.
Deactivate Student Lunch Account
