There is a cafeteria at the school where students can purchase lunch, if they want to purchase a lunch but don't have any cash on hand they can use credit, if t

There is a cafeteria at the school where students can purchase lunch, if they want to purchase a lunch but don't have any cash on hand they can use credit, if they hit their cap and want to purchase lunch on yet more credit they are given alternative meals or nothing. There is no "free lunch". ~75% of k-12 students bring lunch from home. If you are on assistance then your lunch is prepaid. Generally the food is so hilariously bad that most won't pay for it, but there are good schools here and there. 9-12 students generally are allowed to leave campus during lunch hours. There may also be an additional "a la carte" system where you can buy single items either if you have extra money in your account or have cash on hand, but not on credit. Like a canteen.