The Grimes Brief
Two questions come up every September: what is for lunch, and what does it cost? Here is how the Dallas Center-Grimes lunch program works for the 2026-27 school year, with the links that matter.
The DCG lunch menu lives on the district's Nutrislice site, dcgschools.nutrislice.com, where you pick your child's building. For 2026-27, lunch is $3.50 for grades K-6 and $3.60 for grades 7-12, breakfast is $2.25, and milk is $0.55. Add money to your child's account in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
Breakfast and lunch menus are posted on the DCG Nutrislice menu page, linked from the district's Nutrition Services page at dcgschools.com. Choose your child's school building first, because menus can differ by building. It is the quickest way to check the week before you decide whether to pack a lunch.
The district's buildings are Dallas Center Elementary, Heritage Elementary, North Ridge Elementary, South Prairie Elementary, DCG Middle School, Oak View, and DCG High School, plus the preschool and transitional kindergarten programs. Our schools guide shows which grades go where, and the DCG school calendar lists the no-school days when no meals are served.
Seconds and a la carte items such as extra drinks and snacks are charged to the student's account. Prices are set each school year, so confirm on the Nutrition Services page.
DCG runs lunch accounts through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Log in, add money, and watch transactions under the Food Service tab. You can also set up automatic payments on a weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly schedule, or have the account refill when the balance runs low. If an account goes negative, the school notifies the parent. The district's meal charge rules are in Policy 710.04 on its website.
Families can apply for free or reduced-price meals at any time during the year, including when a situation changes mid-year. The 2026-27 application and a parent information letter are both on the Nutrition Services page, and the application is a fillable PDF.
The district posts monthly gluten-free and dairy-free menus as PDFs for the elementary schools, DCG Middle School, Oak View, and the high school. For a medically required change, DCG needs a diet modification form completed by the student's doctor. The form and a short FAQ are on the Nutrition Services page. Give the school time to set it up before the first day.
Questions about menus, accounts, or forms go to the district office at 2405 W 1st Street in Grimes, phone (515) 992-3866. The mailing address is PO Box 680, Grimes, IA 50111.
The Grimes Brief is free every Monday morning, made only for Grimes.
For 2026-27, student lunch is $3.50 in grades K-6 and $3.60 in grades 7-12. Student breakfast is $2.25, adult lunch is $5.15, adult breakfast is $3.05, and milk is $0.55.
Menus are on the district's Nutrislice site at dcgschools.nutrislice.com, linked from the Nutrition Services page at dcgschools.com. Pick your child's school building to see that building's breakfast and lunch menu.
Log in to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal and add money there. You can view transactions under the Food Service tab and set up recurring payments weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, or when the balance runs low.
Fill out the 2026-27 free and reduced-price meal application, a fillable PDF on the Nutrition Services page at dcgschools.com. Families can apply at any time during the year.
The district posts monthly gluten-free and dairy-free menus by building. Medically required changes need a diet modification form completed by the student's doctor, available on the Nutrition Services page.
Free, every Monday 7 AM
Everything new in Grimes this week, in one email. No spam, unsubscribe any time.