Public PK-12 School District in Dalton, Georgia

Free and Reduced Lunch Online Application

Parents of ALL students attending Brookwood School, Westwood School, Hammond Creek Middle School, Dalton Junior High School, Dalton High School and The Dalton Academy need to complete a free and reduced lunch application this year. 

Click on the links below to complete the application. 

Complete free and reduced lunch application

FAQs

What is happening? 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided to end the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) waiver that provided free meals to students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that school meals will no longer automatically be free for everyone. Parents and guardians MUST submit a meal application to qualify for free school meals at Dalton Public Schools during the 2022-23 school year. 

Who should apply? 

Parents and guardians of ALL students attending Brookwood School, Westwood School, Hammond Creek Middle School, Dalton Junior High School, Dalton High School and The Dalton Academy need to complete an application.

What if I know I don't qualify? Do I still need to complete an application? 

Even if you don't qualify, free and reduced applications help provide federal funding for many other school programs and resources. We need everyone to complete these applications!

Myths & Facts

MYTH: School districts could pay for all school lunches, but they're just choosing not to pay for them

FACT: School districts can't use taxpayer funding to pay for school lunches. School nutrition funding is provided by the sale of school meals and federal funds.

MYTH: Dalton Public Schools has paid for school lunches for two years, and decided to stop for no reason.

FACT: The federal government provided a waiver that allowed all students to eat for free during the COVID-19 pandemic, and decided not to renew that waiver for this school year. 

MYTH: If you don't qualify for free and reduced lunch, completing the application is a waste of time. 

FACT: Free and reduced lunch applications impact federal funding for a lot of important programs including family engagement activities, additional staff members, tutoring programs, SAT/ACT exam fees and more.

Person putting a quarter into a piggy bank
Child holding school lunch tray
Person surrounded by question marks