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What is a school lunch manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a school lunch manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.54 an hour? That's $30,239 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 16% and produce 419,300 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreSchool Lunch ManagerUS Average
Salary
2.4

Avg. Salary $30,239

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
9.1

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.85%

Asian 6.25%

Black or African American 11.33%

Hispanic or Latino 17.15%

Unknown 5.40%

White 59.02%

Gender

female 70.31%

male 29.69%

Age - 34
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34
Stress level
9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
5.0

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a school lunch manager

  1. Explore school lunch manager education requirements

    Most common school lunch manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    47.1 %

    Associate

    16.2 %

    High School Diploma

    16.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific school lunch manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    HACCP42.46%
    Food Products38.52%
    Lunch Program19.02%
  3. Complete relevant school lunch manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New school lunch managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a school lunch manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real school lunch manager resumes.
  4. Research school lunch manager duties and responsibilities

    • Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.
    • Institute fiscally sound programs which are compliant with USDA and NYS standards.
    • Cater to events for colleges and schools.
    • Collaborate closely with senior management and fellow supervisors in scheduling, training and disciplining culinary and utility staff members.
  5. Apply for school lunch manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a school lunch manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first school lunch manager job

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Average school lunch manager salary

The average school lunch manager salary in the United States is $30,239 per year or $15 per hour. School lunch manager salaries range between $21,000 and $42,000 per year.

Average school lunch manager salary
$30,239 Yearly
$14.54 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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