Students have more choices every day during breakfast and lunch in the Kids Unlimited Academy cafeteria.
New for the 2026-27 school year, KU’s Food Program is offering instead of serving. That means students can select between two daily breakfast items and two lunch items. Some days, the two lunch choices utilize similar ingredients, such as tacos and nachos. Other days, the choices can be as diverse as fettuccine with meat Bolognese or an egg salad slider. 
Click here to see our monthly Student Choice menus.
Vegetables, fruits, grains, meat and meat alternatives, plus milk will be available at every KUA meal. Students are no longer required to take milk, however, in order for KU to receive government reimbursement for their meal.
A wider variety of fruits and vegetables are provided daily, supported by KUA’s new salad bar. For grades K-2, salad bar items are pre-portioned to ensure students take the required amounts. Students in grade 3-5 serve themselves using portion-control serving utensils.
“The goal of bringing in a salad bar is really about supporting student health by giving them access to fresh fruits and vegetables while also allowing them some autonomy to build their own meals,” said Charrene Cole, KU Food Program manager. “It also helps students become more familiar with different fruits and vegetables they may not have exposure to at home.
“My hope … with a salad bar is to increase the use of local produce, including seasonal fruits and vegetables when available,” said Cole.
Students must take at least 1/2 cup of fruit or vegetable and at least two additional meal components, both at breakfast and lunch. This is a significant change from last school year, when students were required to take all five meal components for KUA to receive a government reimbursement. Food Program staff are encouraging students this year to only take what they know they will eat.
An official government model for school food service, “offer versus serve” empowers students to select more foods they want to eat while reducing the program’s food waste and food costs. All KUA students are still eligible for free breakfast, lunch and dinner — cooked from scratch using fresh ingredients in our on-site kitchen. KU is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
KU’s nationally recognized, award-winning Food Program is unique in the Medford school district and provides the majority of most students’ daily nutrition. Also providing hot dinners to its Afterschool programs at nine Medford elementary schools, KU prepares and serves approximately 40,000 meals per month.
