Whether Austin’s children spend the season taking a dive at the pool, riding a bike or attending summer classes, one thing they can count on is a free lunch.

The Austin Public Schools Summer Lunch Program started yesterday, and will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday this summer. Between the lunch program’s three locations — Austin High School, Neveln Elementary and Southgate Elementary — the first day’s turnout was high, said Mary Weikum, the district’s director of food and nutrition.

“We served over 600 lunches,” Weikum said. “We’re really happy with the turnout on day one.”

The district served about 31,000 lunches in total last summer, and 35,000 during the summer of 2011.

While Ellis Middle School was one of the lunch locations last year, the district chose Neveln in its place this summer to help keep the I. J. Holton Intermediate School clear for workers and to let Ellis staff adjust for its lack of a sixth grade this fall.

“With the new building going up, a lot of teachers are moving rooms,” Weikum said.

The free lunches, which are open to children ages 1-18, run through July 26 at AHS and until Aug. 23 at Neveln and Southgate.