Nutrition Services

The Francis Howell School District participates in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. This allows families the opportunity to apply for Free and Reduced Price Meal Benefits.

To receive free or reduced-price meals for your child(ren), please refer to the Eligibility Income Chart. Children from families whose current income is at or below those shown are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The information provided on the application is confidential and will be used only for the purpose of determining eligibility. Families are required to reapply for the Free and Reduced meal program each school year.

The Free and Reduced Meals application can now be completed and submitted online. Visit the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to complete the online application. A parent portal account must be established before applying. For more information about the application process or to complete a printed version, please view the The Free and Reduced Meals Letter. Translated versions of the letter can be found here.

Note: Families may apply at any time throughout the school year. Families approved and receiving benefits, wishing to continue receiving benefits, must submit a new meal application within the first 30-days of the beginning of each school year. Please contact Bina Patel at 636-851-6054 with any questions.

Printed Free and Reduced Meal applications should be returned to the Nutrition Service Office:

Francis Howell Nutrition Service
4606 Central School Road
Saint Charles, MO 63304
(636) 851-6054

All schools that participate in the federal meals programs are required by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to have written policies to inform parents about procedures regarding meal debt. District Policy 5550 maintains consistent meal account procedures throughout the District. The District’s contracted nutrition service vendor is responsible for maintaining food charge records and for notifying the District’s accounting department of outstanding balances. For more information, view a copy of Policy 5550.

Free and Reduced Meal Application

Have you ever been unable to concentrate because you were hungry?  Did you know there are students in Francis Howell School District who are not able to purchase a lunch while at school?

To address this need, FHSD has created a Lunch Heroes program. The Lunch Heroes program allows for donations from community members and District staff to support students when they no longer have funds in their lunch accounts. To provide lunch for a student for a month the cost is approximately $50.00.

Our goal is to work together with parents to make sure that all students are able to receive a hot lunch. Individuals who wish to donate to the Lunch Heroes program can do so by visiting the District web store.

If your child will be graduating or leaving the District, families can also opt to donate the balance to the Lunch Heroes program. Donate a lunch account balance.

Yes, you can place an à la carte restriction on a student's account if you wish. Many choices are available such as a dollar value limit. Create or log in to your EZ School Pay account to view your options.

The Francis Howell School District and Sodexo, our food service provider have been working very closely with the Health Department to ensure that our food service practices meet the revised, recommended guidelines due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Unfortunately, at this time the option to purchase birthday treat/class party food options will not be available based on guidance from the Health Department. Francis Howell Board policy also prohibits outside food to be brought into school due to food allergies. Our classroom teachers will collaborate with families that wish to celebrate their child’s birthday at school through alternative, non-food celebrations. Thank you for understanding and continuing to support a safe and healthy environment for our school community.

USDA reimburses schools for meals that meet specific meal patterns and nutrition guidelines. USDA nutrition guidelines are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. School systems have different options for developing menus with reimbursable meals. Each meal will be some combination of a meat/meat alternate, bread/grain, fruit/vegetable and milk. For example, lunch could include spaghetti with meat sauce, canned peaches, salad and milk. Breakfast could include cereal, toast and milk.

Parents, guardians, and students can access meal menus and nutritional information for all schools on the District’s Nutrislice website. The site includes detailed nutritional values for all cafeteria items, including calories, allergens, and other information. For additional questions, please call 636-851-6054.

The District serves very healthy meals!  Research shows that students who eat school lunch eat less fat than students who bring their lunch from home. Students who eat school lunch eat more fruits, vegetables and drink more milk. They are less likely to drink soda and fruit drinks. As a part of the National School Lunch Program, FHSD is required to serve whole grains, low fats, colorful fruits and vegetables with many healthy and flavorful options.

FHSD uses an online payment system (Web Store) for breakfast and lunch payments. Payments can be made through the FHSD Web Store by clicking on the “Food Service Payments” button. The system accepts Visa, MasterCard or Discover (credit or debit cards). Cash and checks can still also be sent with your child to school to be added to their lunch account. The system is also able to accept electronic checks. Need help? View detailed instructions on how to add money to your student's lunch account.

Meal account balances are available in the FHSD Web Store.

Once you’ve set up an account through the FHSD Web Store and added funds to your child’s lunch account, visit EZSchoolPay. Here you’ll be able to see exactly what your child has purchased for breakfast and/or lunch each day. Parents/guardians can also set spending limits through EZSchoolPay. Please note - meal payments cannot be made through EZSchool Pay and must be made through the FHSD Web Store.

Low balance reminders ($6 or lower) are sent via email each Wednesday. Negative balance notifications (below $.01) are sent via email on Tuesday and Thursday. These email notifications are sent to a parent/guardian listed in Infinite Campus.

Our priority is to make sure all students are fed each day. Families who seek financial assistance should first complete a Free- and Reduced-Price Meal Application, and then reach out to their child’s school counselor for additional support. When any PreK-12th grade student's lunch account exceeds negative $25, they will be offered an alternative meal which may include a Sun Butter and Jelly Sandwich (similar to peanut butter but made with sunflower seeds) or Cheese Sandwich, along with a fruit or vegetable side choice and milk. Students with negative lunch account balances of negative $25 or more are also not allowed to purchase ala carte items in the cafeteria until the balance is paid. To make a lunch account payment, visit the FHSD Webstore.

Any money remaining in student meal accounts 12 months after the student is unenrolled will be donated and transferred into the Lunch Heroes account.  For any questions please contact Bina Patel at 636-851-6054.

Contact the District’s food service provider, Sodexo, at 636-851-6054.