How Educational Solutions Built a Meal Program Students Actually Use

Educational Solutions is a charter network serving students across four schools in Columbus, Ohio: Cesar Chavez College Preparatory School, Educational Academy of Boys and Girls, Midnimo Cross Cultural School, and Unity Academy. Like many charter schools, they cared a lot about their academic programs and the success of their students, but their breakfast and lunch programs weren’t performing well. 

Educational Solutions was partnered with a local caterer, and the food experience was falling short. Meals were largely made up of processed foods and just didn’t taste good to students. As a result, food often went uneaten and was thrown away, additionally creating a lot of waste.

Breakfast, in particular, was a pain point. It regularly arrived cold and was limited to packaged items like honey buns. Many students skipped meals altogether, and teachers noticed the downstream effects—students heading into class tired, distracted, and hungry.

The school team was looking for a better option: food that was healthier, tasted better, and students would actually choose to eat. They had been searching for a new vendor for a while, but they didn’t have another option.

Then they found Ordo.

The Change: Fresh, Scratch-Made Meals

After switching to Ordo, Educational Solutions moved away from pre-packaged food and began serving fresh meals made from scratch. The goal wasn’t to overhaul everything at once, but to raise the baseline—better ingredients, better preparation, and a more consistent experience across all four schools.

The difference showed up quickly in cafeterias. Students responded to food that looked and tasted better, and participation steadily increased. The Ordo chefs also made some cultural accommodations to the menu that appealed to the diverse student body.

Today, nearly every student across the Educational Solutions network eats both breakfast and lunch at school. Instead of meals being skipped or wasted, students are consistently participating and starting class well-fed.

For a multi-school charter network, this level of participation matters. It supports student focus and energy during the day, and it creates a more predictable, sustainable meal program for school leaders.

A Partner Schools Can Rely On

In addition to the food itself, the Educational Solutions team values the partnership behind it. The Ordo team is responsive and easy to work with, addressing questions or issues quickly and keeping communication clear. That reliability reduces the day-to-day burden on school staff and allows administrators to stay focused on what matters most: their students.

Educational Solutions’ experience shows that improving school meals doesn’t require complexity or flash. By switching to fresh, scratch-made food and working with a responsive, consistent partner, the network reduced waste, increased participation, and better supported students across all four schools.