Overview

Located just west of Minneapolis, MN, the Hopkins Public Schools system serves nearly 7,400 students. The district is composed of six elementary schools, one magnet Chinese immersion school, two junior high schools and one high school. Thirty-eight percent of the district’s students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

Hopkins Public Schools strives to offer menus composed of minimally processed foods. Approximately 90 percent of the food served in the high school is prepared from scratch, as is 75 percent of the offerings in the district’s elementary and junior high schools. The district purchased approximately $290,000 of locally grown and raised foods for the 2013-14 school year, including milk, yogurt, apples, tomatoes, meat, poultry and wheatberries.1 The district aims to inspire students with nutritious food and uses locally grown products whenever possible given their freshness and taste.

Hopkins’ kitchen facilities include nine on-site full preparation kitchens.