The lunch line snakes around the cafeteria as students eye the trays ahead– pizza slices, chicken wings and french fries. For some, it’s the best part of the day. For others, it’s a daily disappointment. 

School lunch has been a contentious topic in schools for a long time, sparking debates about taste, nutrition and quality. Some students look forward to it for a break, and others are just there for the food. 

“I only like lunch because it’s a break from doing school work, and I get to socialize with my friends,” sophomore Caroline Staten said. “I think the only thing genuinely worse than it is hospital food.” 

Her opinion may seem over the top or extreme, but many students share her frustration like senior Mariah Roberts. 

“In my four years of going to CyRanch, I have never had one meal that actually tastes like we’re supposed to be eating it,” she said. 

Still, not everyone feels the same way. 

“I really like the food. It’s an upgrade from the junior high food in so many ways,” sophomore Taylor Sellers said.

This is how a few of the Cy-Fair ISD students feel about the school-provided lunch here, even though these students have mixed feelings about their lunches, many have ideas for improvement.

“Maybe if the food was actually seasoned correctly, I’d eat it, but until then,  well… I’ll stick with the bread, the only actually good thing there,” freshman Cherie Mills said. 

The students discussed the cafeteria food’s nutrition and whether they think they get enough from the school food. 

“If you actually look at the nutrition, it barely has enough for an actually decent meal,” Staten said. 

She argued that she prefers taking lunch from home because she can actually get snacks she likes and try to check all the nutrition boxes without eating “mystery meat daily.” 

Though the students had varying opinions on lunch, students had more positive feedback to offer about breakfast. 

“There’s a lot of variety for breakfast, yogurt, granola, then fruit with something sweet or savory,” Sellers said. “It’s all inclusive for everyone’s taste buds.”

Mills and Staten agreed to this, stating they were grateful that breakfast was also provided for students because it is the “most important meal” of the day, and they do not have time to eat at home. Roberts said she appreciates that breakfast has variety because she is “extremely picky” with her food and sometimes she will eat yogurt if there is nothing she wants for breakfast.

For her, having options helps her eat something in the morning. When asked about the quality, Mills described it as “pretty good” compared to the lunch food. She even said it was “faster to get in line in the morning because they move pretty quickly, and I still have time to talk with my friends or complete homework.” 

While some students, like Staten, had some complaints about “dairy-free” options, she still agreed that breakfast was the better of the two meals we get at school. The variety and convenience of it all, and the fact that it is all inclusive, which is different from their lunch opinions: breakfast received a lot of thumbs up for being a nice source of food.

“It might not be perfect, but it’s nice to start the day with a small but good meal,” Staten said.