How many calories are in a school lunch?

According to the New York Times, the 2010 Healthy Hunger-free Kids Act set mandatory guidelines for school lunch programs receiving federal lunch aid. High school lunches are limited to 850 calories, while middle school and elementary lunches should not exceed 700 and 650, respectively.

The new rules require more fruits and vegetables and less fat and sodium, the Times reports. Prior to the 2010 act, there was no limit to the number of calories in school lunches. Since most school lunch programs had to cut back on calories to fulfill the regulations, meat and carbohydrate servings are generally smaller. Meanwhile, the price of many school lunches is increasing slightly.