National Landscape: School Breakfast

The School Breakfast Program is available nationwide to students on every school day morning. When kids consistently get the morning nutrition they need, it leads to calmer, more focused classrooms where students are better able to learn. However, the program can be severely underutilized as transportation, school schedules and stigma can block kids from participating.

But there are more efficient ways to ensure kids eat breakfast. Making breakfast a part of the regular school day, just like lunch, has a powerful effect on kids. In fact, the growing nationwide movement to make breakfast part of the school day — often referred to as Breakfast After the Bell — has led to steady participation increases in many states. States that require high-need schools to provide Breakfast After the Bell through state legislation or district policies have seen the highest and quickest gains in school breakfast participation.

Participation is measured by the percent of free and reduced-price eligible children who are receiving school breakfast.