Yes simpler times and better I think. I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I actually ate the school lunch that they served.
There was no free lunch program at that time. I can’t remember any kid really going without. Most of the time the teachers would buy kids lunch if they saw they didn’t have any money. When I became a teacher I used to buy lunch for any kid that forgot theirs or didn’t have money. It alwasy worked out.
Better for sure. Nobody had any money and any bullies got ganged up on and whipped. But nobody went hungry!