Good nutrition is important to learning. Children behave better, have longer attention spans and are more eager to learn when they eat healthy meals. Dryden Food Service wants to make sure that all of our students are ready to focus on their lessons every day.

Dryden Central School District participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program, administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs must meet standards in the following areas:

• More Fruits and Vegetables
• Whole Grains
• Calorie Limits
• Sodium Limits
• Limits on Unhealthy Fat
• Low-Fat and Fat-Free Milk
• Free Water

While 5 options must be offered, only 3 need to be taken for the school to receive reimbursement for the meal. One of those 3 must be a fruit or a vegetable.

The stigma of the "traditional school lunch" is challenging to overcome, but our Food Service department is working hard to provide exciting menu options, new marketing initiatives, and improve food choice and quality. Our goal is to provide restaurant-style food that meets USDA nutritional guidelines.

We want to be the leading provider of nutritious, low-cost, tasty meals so that students don't feel they have to eat school lunch, but that they want to eat school lunch.

Breakfast & Lunch Menus

May CAS/FES/MS/HS

May DES    

Dryden Central School District is excited to be a part of the Tompkins County School Food Reboot (TCSFR) program! In partnership with the Chef Ann Foundation and the Park Foundation, TCSFR is providing six school districts in Tompkins County, NY with support to improve their meal programs.

Through TCSFR, we are emphasizing whole ingredients, scratch-cooked meals, procuring local foods wherever possible, providing a strong foundation for students’ academic success and ensuring our children are well fed and ready to learn!