Nova Scotia expanding school lunch program, spending more than $100M

The Nova Scotia School Lunch Program served thousands of students in 2024-2025. (Source: Province of Nova Scotia)

Nova Scotia is expanding its pay-what-you-can lunch program to all 372 public schools in the province this September.

The Nova Scotia School Lunch Program, which launched at 256 schools in the 2024-2025 academic year, will expand to high schools in the fall. The province will spend more than $100 million on the program for the 2026-2027 academic year.

In the 2025-2026 academic year, more than 7.89 million lunches were served at 334 schools.

“This program makes it easier for our families and our students to access and order food during the day,” said Todd Symes, principal of Liverpool Regional High School, in a news release from the province. “Cafeteria staff have been following the upcoming menu and getting positive reviews from students on the exciting new meal options.”

The program, which aims to offer nutritious meals to students, says families can pay $6.50 per meal, pay part of the cost or pay nothing.

The province says the menu for the upcoming academic year includes chicken caesar wraps, ramen-style noodle bowls and salads. High schools will also have larger portion sizes.

Since the program started in 2024, the program has served more than 12 million meals.

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