The debate over the best lunch period has been going on for far too long, so, today, not only will we crown one lucky period as the best lunch period, but we will also rank all of the other lunch periods. Each period will be judged based on their timing in the day and their relevance to other periods.                                                                                             

However, it’s important to note that this ranking is somewhat subjective, and mostly based on opinion. So without further ado, let’s start off with the worst lunch period.

4th Place – 3rd Period Lunch

Coming in dead last is, as you’d probably guess, 3rd period lunch – which is more of a brunch if anything. Third Period lunch takes place from 10:30 to 11:15. Off the bat, 10 o’clock is already standard late breakfast timing. Folks, let’s be real, almost nobody is actually excited about eating lunch this early in the morning; people just want their break period. To make matters worse, there are five more periods left in the day after 3rd period, so students with 3rd period lunch better be prepared with snacks of some sort. Without any sustenance in their later class periods, students with 3rd period lunch could potentially even underperform in their later classes due to hunger. And let’s not forget about extra-curricular activities such as clubs and sports. Nobody wants to go to a club or practice on an empty stomach.

3rd Place – 6th Period Lunch

Sixth Period lunch isn’t as bad as the previously ranked lunch period, but it’s definitely not the best by far either. While 6th Period Lunch is at a pleasant time in the day (1 to 1:45), it’s a bit late in the school day, making it not as nice as some of the other higher-ranked lunch periods. After 6th period, there’s only two class periods left in the day, and extracurriculars for students who participate in those. This means there are 5 class periods before 6th period lunch which isn’t very desirable. However, 6th Period Lunch is advantageous to those who participate in extracurricular activities and sports after school. 

2nd Place – 4th Period Lunch 

Although it is a little early, lasting from 11:20 to 12:05, 4th Period lunch is pretty solid considering it’s close to the middle of the school day. With only three periods before it, and four periods after it, 4th Period Lunch is at a sweet spot. The main flaw with 4th Period Lunch is that it is a little early, but it’s not as bad as 3rd Period Lunch as 11 o’clock is much more acceptable lunch time as opposed to 10 o’clock. 

1st Place – 5th Period Lunch 

Finally, in first place, we have 5th period lunch. 5th period lunch is arguably at the best time and is placed at the best spot in the school day. From 12:10-12:55, 5th Period lunch takes place during the standard lunch timing. Not only is the timing nice, but additionally, there are 4 periods before 5th Period Lunch and 3 class periods after. This makes 5th Period Lunch basically in the middle of the school day, which makes it so much more desirable in comparison to some of the lower-ranked lunch periods.  

For these reasons, 5th period is the lucky lunch period crowned as first place. This doesn’t mean any of the lunch periods are outright trash, but, of course, some lunch periods are more preferable and advantageous than others. Now, readers, do keep in mind that your lunch period doesn’t define you, so if you’re in a lower ranked lunch period that has nothing to do with the quality of who you are. And with this, we finally conclude the ongoing debate on what lunch period is the best lunch period.