School lunches here at Arrowhead have varying opinions on them from current students. The company providing these lunches is Chartwells. 

This year lunches aren’t free for every student like they were in the 2020-2021 school year, and the 2021-2022 school year. 

The lunches were free due to COVID-19 when many families had interruptions with their regular jobs. 

For students who qualify, free and reduced priced lunches are still available, but for the  other students a paid lunch costs $3.25. 

The change in prices has resulted in less students taking hot lunch this year than the last two years. 

Students like Paige Lind, an Arrowhead sophomore, have said, “I don’t take it as much this year because compared to other Arrowhead students my family isn’t the wealthiest. Therefore it’s not my favorite time when lunch money has to be added to my account while my mom has to pay for groceries.”

The quality of school lunches can also be reflected when looking at the amount of students taking hot vs cold lunches. Chayse Farris, an Arrowhead senior, says she feels the quality is not the greatest.

Farris says, “I feel like they taste processed, more so in general just not fresh. The meat is probably the least fresh. The fruit isn’t great but it’s decent for what Arrowhead lunches can provide. ”

Others like Arrowhead senior Kasia Lecaire says, “I think the quality is really good, especially with the fact that they feed a large number of students.”

Having a favorite or least favorite lunch is also going to change the perspective of the quality of Arrowhead lunches.

Alyson Lo, an Arrowhead senior, shares her favorite meals and how the quality impacts those choices of hers. 

Lo says, “My favorite lunch would have to be the Nashville Chicken, and my least favorite would have to be the Beef Tacos. The Nashville Chicken at least has flavor to it. The beef tacos are just a bit bland and so if I had to choose I would definitely go with the Nashville Chicken.”

Some students think that the quality of food, and food options varies between campuses also. 

Lind says, “I feel like North Campus might be slightly better because of North Campus being the higher campus, maybe they have better food options.” 

Other students believe that there should also be more options relating to dietary restrictions. 

Farris says, “They should definitely accommodate for more dietary restrictions, just don’t make as much because I feel they only need the amount for the students who require the accommodations.”

There’s a multitude of factors that contribute to students’ opinions. Make sure to check the lunch menu with the next month’s choices on arrowheadschools.org.