School Food Survey

2024

The Results are In!

Thank you to the over 40,000 parents and students from across the city who submitted responses to the CPS Annual School Food Survey.

The survey is an opportunity for students and parents to share opinions about the school meal program and preferences about meal offerings. Our goal is to increase participation in school meals by offering food that reflects the preferences of our students and families, while meeting federal and local requirements.

Survey Stats

  • Overall response rate across the entire district was 15.19%.
  • 534 of the 572 schools (93%) that participate in the school meals program had at least 5 responses to the survey
  • Students (10.97%) had a higher response rate than parents (4.22%).
  • There was a higher response rate for HS (17.09%) than ES (14.4%).
  • 11 schools had a response rate of over 50%.

Response Rate by ARA Region

 

ARA Region Map

See how you compare! What's for breakfast?

 

What's for lunch?

 

If you had to choose:

BROWN RICE or WHITE RICE?

CORN or FLOUR Tortilla?

Is maintaining low levels of sodium (salt) in school food important to you?

How satisfied are you with the following aspects of the school meal program?

 

About Meals at CPS Serving 270,000 Meals Daily

We are committed to providing healthy, high quality food to all students. When students participate in school meals they have access to breakfast, lunch, and more during the school day, reduce food waste, and reinforce strong school meal programs.

School meals are available to all enrolled CPS students at no charge. Join us for breakfast and lunch daily.

Learn More

A student choose their lunch

About Meals at CPS Serving 270,000 Meals Daily

We are committed to providing healthy, high quality food to all students. When students participate in school meals they have access to breakfast, lunch, and more during the school day, reduce food waste, and reinforce strong school meal programs.

School meals are available to all enrolled CPS students at no charge. Join us for breakfast and lunch daily.

Learn More

Students eat lunch

How We Listen Reacting to Your Feedback

The school food survey and other school food engagements have taught us a lot. This is what we're cooking up:

  • We're featuring new products and recipes at breakfast and lunch.
  • We're offering yogurt and cereal more frequently.
  • We're menuing new rice recipes and exploring more flavors during tastings.
  • We're continuing to offer student favorites while creating menus that address labor challenges.
  • We're researching corn tortilla products that perform well in the school food space.
  • We're planning more engagements with vendors and thought partners to continuously address feedback and explore possibilities.
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What's New With CPS Food
Food menu icon
School Menus At Your Fingertips
It's easier than ever to find your school’s daily breakfast and lunch menus with MealViewer. Students and parents can create profiles, view menus and nutrition info, and rate meals.
As times change and student preferences shift, we strive to keep our nutrition guidelines relevant. CPS meals offer balanced nutrition informed by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and evidenced based recommendations.
Farm to table icon
Seasonal, Local and Cultural Serves
CPS partners with local producers to bring fresh, healthy and local food to CPS schools. As the seasons allow, we incorporate food items grown within 350 miles of Illinois. When items are grown even closer to home, we get excited.
Custom meals icon
More Meals Made From Scratch
We’ve increased the quantity of scratch-prepared and minimally processed items on the menus across the district and we’re piloting scratch-prepared menus at several high schools.

Resources

Contact Us

For questions or concerns, reach out to CPS Nutrition Support Services by email at food@cps.edu.