Asked which school meals were their favorites , students at a public school in the New York borough of Queens do n't say chicken fingers or meatballs . Instead , they name rice and kidney beans , black bean quesadillas or tofu with Chinese noodles . `` Whoever thought they would hear a third-grader saying that they liked tofu and Chinese noodles ? '' asked Dennis Walcott , New York City schools chancellor . Walcott was at the Active Learning Elementary School this week to celebrate its move to all-vegetarian meals five days a week . The school of nearly 400 students , from pre-kindergarten to third grade , was founded five years ago on the principle that a healthy lifestyle leads to strong academic achievement . `` We decided on a vision where health and nutrition would be a part of educating the whole child , '' school principal Bob Groff said . The school 's focus on healthier meals began three years ago when Groff noticed a majority of students were bringing their own vegetarian meals . The school went meatless three days a week about a year and a half ago . It also tested meals on a small group of students , gathering feedback and changing the menu accordingly . Active Learning 's student body may be more accustomed to vegetarian diets than most , with 85 % of the students being Asian and another 10 % Hispanic , said Margie Feinberg , spokeswoman for the New York Department of Education . `` Rice was a staple of many of their home foods , '' Groff said of the students . Study : Too much red meat may shorten life span . The vegetarian program expanded to four days a week last spring but reverted back to three days when the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed its requirements for protein per serving in the fall , he said . The school worked closely with the city 's education department food program to ensure menu items met USDA standards . It officially went all-vegetarian in January . `` We 've been working with tofu for a few months , '' Groff said . At first , the tofu was served as a seasonless block ; now , smaller pieces of barbeque-flavored , oven roasted tofu are served with noodles . That , Groff said , `` changes how the kids perceive it . '' Other options might include roasted chickpeas , vegetarian chili and brown rice , or falafel , the city Department of Education said in a statement . Students appear to be enthusiastic about their healthy meals . `` When you 're healthy , you can do better on tests and you can fight more diseases , '' student Nick Lin told CNN affiliate NY1 . Following the announcement this week , Groff said he was welcomed into a PTA meeting with roaring applause . He told parents the children may still bring whatever meal they like for lunch . But `` the vegetarian menu fits right in with our mission , and we are thrilled that our students in pre-kindergarten all the way up to grade three understand the importance of healthy and nutritious meals , '' Groff said in a statement . New York schools -- which provide meals for 1.1 million students daily -- offer principals vegetarian and nonvegetarian lunch options . Groff worked closely with the department so that the menu changes came at no additional cost to the school . He hired a school parent as a vegetarian chef to develop the menu and described his school as the vegetarian test kitchen for the city . One original recipe , called `` Malini 's Curry Chickpeas '' after the school 's chef , was offered as an option in schools across the city on Earth Day , he said . The department hopes other schools will consider going vegetarian . `` As far as we know , ( Active Learning ) is the only public school in the nation that offers an all-vegetarian menu , '' Feinberg said . The animal products in your medicine cabinet .
Queens school sees health and nutrition as part of serving the whole child . Many students were exposed to vegetarian meals at school , she said . The school began offering vegetarian meals daily in January .