Chicago Public Schools Launches 2025 Annual School Food Survey (Chicago, IL) – Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is excited to announce the launch of our annual school food survey for parents and students. This survey serves as a valuable tool for gathering feedback on the District’s free meal program. By collecting input through survey results, food tastings, and focus groups, CPS is able to enhance participation in school meals. This is achieved by offering menu items that align with the preferences and needs of CPS students and families, while also meeting federal and local nutrition and operational requirements.
All students and parents/guardians from District-managed schools are encouraged to participate in the survey, which can be accessed here. This feedback is crucial in shaping the future of CPS school meals.
“We have intensified our efforts to engage with our students, to achieve the optimal balance between health and flavor,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “ By listening to the voices of our students, who are the most important members of our District, Nutrition Support Services can make informed adjustments to our meal offerings.”
Engaging students in providing feedback is essential for improving CPS breakfast and lunch menus. In 2022, the Office of Nutrition Support Services (NSS) organized and executed 40 tastings throughout the District. The tastings featured a diverse array of culinary delights, including blueberry smoothies, baked potatoes with chili and cheese, Asian noodle salad, chicken ham frittata, pierogies, cheeseburger pizza, breakfast tacos, veggie pasta salad, BBQ tofu, chilaquiles, and more.
For instance, in the fall of 2023, CPS conducted a food survey at Mildred Lavizzo Elementary School, where 250 students sampled Chilaquiles Rojo with Eggs and a Chicken Biscuit Tostada. Furthermore, 110 students from Scammon and Owens elementary schools had the opportunity to try a new product, half-popped popcorn. Based on the favorable reviews from students, these items have been incorporated into the school menus this winter.
Building on the success of these tastings, an additional 19 tastings were carried out during the summer of 2023 in preparation for the upcoming 2023-24 School Year. The feedback gathered from these tastings have played a pivotal role in the District’s decision to introduce a variety of new breakfast and lunch options for CPS students throughout the academic year.
These initiatives not only gather valuable feedback but also demonstrate CPS’s commitment to meeting the needs and preferences of students in their school meals. The Office of Nutrition Support Services remains dedicated to providing students with nutritious and delicious meals that cater to their diverse tastes and dietary needs. Through ongoing tastings and feedback mechanisms, we aim to continuously enhance the dining experience for all students in the District. The School Food Survey will remain open until midnight on Friday, March 1, 2025, and the information collected will guide school food decisions for the upcoming school year and beyond. The District’s NSS team will offer technology items as prizes to be raffled off to the elementary and high schools with the highest student participation in the survey.
Since increasing student outreach and engagement in the District’s meal program, over 50 new menu items have been added. Student participation at breakfast has increased by three percent and by four percent at lunch compared to last year.
“We will continue to prioritize our students as the primary voice in the creation of tasty and nutritional school meals,” said CPS NSS Executive Director Jason Mojica. “We are eager to continue increasing the percentage of students who will take advantage of our free meal program across all District schools.”
More information about the CPS Nutrition Support Services is available here.
Chicago Public Schools Launches 2025 Annual School Food Survey
