MIAMI — This 2026-2027 academic school year will begin with new cafeteria menu additions at public schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
The new options at Broward schools’ cafeterias include Jalapeño egg patties, a plant-based fiesta wrap with hummus, and seasoned Cajun fries. In Miami-Dade, the new dishes include sriracha honey chicken and all-beef meatballs.
“We are a very large district, and we have a lot of students, and all of them have different likes and dislikes, and we want to make sure that we are providing a wide variety,” said Elizabeth Seeley, a dietician for Broward County Public Schools.
Parents or guardians will need to complete an application so the district can determine their income eligibility for free or reduced-price lunches through June 30, 2027.
“Parents can still qualify for free, reduced-price meals,” said Kristina Ramirez, the BCPS program coordinator. “They just need to go online and complete the application.”
Only 121 public schools in Miami-Dade and 141 public schools in Broward will continue to offer free breakfast and lunch, as part of the federally assisted child nutrition programs.
“We had a surplus amount of money because of grants we received from COVID, and then we were able to have all of our students eat for free, but that surplus is now down. That was because that was the purpose of it. That’s what we did with our money,” Seeley said.
The 2026–27 academic year begins on Aug. 10 for students at Broward County Public Schools, on Aug. 11 for students at the Archdiocese of Miami Catholic Schools, and on Aug. 13 for students at Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
The pricing for Miami-Dade schools that do not qualify for free meals is $2.50 for breakfast and $4.20 for lunch. The reduced price is 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch.
In Broward, lunch is $4 for elementary school students, $4.35 for middle school students, and $4.50 for high school students.
Here is how to apply:
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools application: mdcpsnutrition.net
- Broward County Public Schools application: myschoolapps.com
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