Editor’s note: A version of this story first appeared in CityView’s education newsletter. Subscribe to receive it on Tuesdays along with our daily newsletter, which is sent mornings Sunday through Friday.
When Cumberland County Schools approved a contract extension for milk and dairy products during its April 14 Board of Education meeting, there wasn’t much discussion.
The board approved a one-year extension with Maola Dairy to continue supplying milk and dairy products to school cafeterias during the 2026-27 school year. According to district documents, the company agreed to extend the contract with no price changes from the previous year.
But buried inside the contract documents is a detailed snapshot of what students are drinking in school cafeterias—and just how much milk it takes to serve one of North Carolina’s largest school districts.
District estimates included in the contract documents project Cumberland County schools will serve approximately 668,567 half-pint cartons of milk across the district.
The total value of the milk contract is $184,984.96.
By the Numbers
- 668,567 projected milk cartons districtwide
- 450,835 projected cartons of skim chocolate milk
- 155,841 projected cartons of 1% white milk
- 58,211 projected cartons of skim strawberry milk
- 3,680 projected lactose-free cartons
- $184,984.96 total contract value
- 85,579 projected cartons in Board District 5, the highest total among the district’s board districts
Chocolate Milk Reigns Supreme
If there is one clear favorite in Cumberland County cafeterias, it’s skim chocolate milk.
Contract estimates show schools are projected to serve 450,835 cartons of skim chocolate milk, accounting for about 67% of all projected milk servings districtwide.
The next most common option is 1% white milk, with 155,841 cartons projected.
Schools are also expected to serve 58,211 cartons of skim strawberry milk and 3,680 cartons of lactose-free milk.
In other words, schools are projected to serve nearly three cartons of skim chocolate milk for every carton of white milk.
Which Board Districts Serve the Most Milk?
Board District 5—which includes much of the eastern half of the county—is projected to receive the largest number of milk cartons, with 85,579 cartons across schools in the district.
District 2 follows closely behind with 85,444 cartons.
Projected totals by district include:
| Board District | Projected Cartons |
| District 5 | 85,579 |
| District 2 | 85,444 |
| District 1 | 73,771 |
| District 6 | 69,285 |
| District 4 | 67,809 |
| District 10 | 62,708 |
| District 8 | 61,739 |
| District 3 | 60,267 |
| District 7 | 57,906 |
| District 9 | 44,059 |
The differences largely reflect enrollment patterns. Districts serving larger student populations require more milk deliveries throughout the school year.
Which Schools Serve the Most Milk?
Among individual schools, Gallberry Farm Elementary School is projected to serve the most milk, with 16,205 cartons.
Other schools projected to serve more than 14,000 cartons include:
- Bill Hefner Elementary School—15,838
- Cliffdale Elementary School—14,762
- E.E. Miller Elementary School—14,720
- Elizabeth Cashwell Elementary School—14,219
Several schools are projected to serve fewer than 4,000 cartons, including:
- Massey Hill Classical High School—1,675
- Beaver Dam Elementary School—2,743
- Ashley Elementary School—2,956
- Seventy-First Classical Middle School—3,063
- Reid Ross Classical School—3,069
