The latest increase means that the price of a paid for school dinner in a primary school or special school will have risen from £2.60 to £3.40 since the start of 2026
A headteacher said she believes "families are going to struggle" as the price of school dinners is to go up for the second time in a year.
The price of meals for pre-school, primary and special school pupils will go up by 30p, for post-primary pupils will they will rise by 15%. It follows an increase of just under 20% introduced by the Education Authority (EA) in January 2026.
Ãine Leslie, principal of Malone Integrated College in Belfast, said this will put further pressure on families who are already worried about the cost of living crisis.
But the EA said that the amount parents would have to pay was still well below the average cost of producing a school meal, estimated at over £5.20.