Media Contact:
Jorda Baker
jbaker@frac.org
980-290-7282
Congress Must Pass the Universal School Meals Program Act to
Support Schools and Fuel Children’s Health and Learning
WASHINGTON, May 27, 2026 — The 2025–2026 school year opened amid significant threats to child nutrition programs, according to Large School District Report: A Snapshot of School Meals Participation and Operations in October 2025, a new report by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) that analyzes survey findings from 96 large school districts across the country. Despite these challenges, many school nutrition departments continued to innovate, adapt, and implement best practices, such as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and breakfast after the bell, to ensure children could access school meals, which help improve academic outcomes and reduce food insecurity.
Eighty-one school districts (84 percent) reported high food costs; 78 school districts (81 percent) reported increased labor costs; and 71 school districts (74 percent) reported concerns regarding how deep cuts to SNAP and Medicaid in H.R. 1 will affect school meal administration and participation.
“School nutrition staff are working hard to provide healthy meals to fuel children’s health and learning, but it is becoming increasingly challenging for them to do so,” said Crystal FitzSimons, president of FRAC. “The good news is that there are innovative solutions and policies to ensure that nutritious meals are available to children at school and to support school nutrition operations.”
While nearly all schools included in the report offered both breakfast and lunch, far too many eligible children are missing out on school breakfast. In October 2025, these districts combined served 47.8 million lunches but only 26.8 million breakfasts. To close this gap, FRAC encourages schools to adopt innovative models, like breakfast after the bell, that have been shown to increase participation. FRAC also urges state and federal lawmakers to expand pathways to Healthy School Meals for All.
In some or all of their schools, 77 percent of the districts offered school meals at no charge to all students. The districts reported numerous benefits to Healthy School Meals for All including: increasing food security (96 percent); eliminating school meal debt (93 percent); reducing stigma (89 percent); supporting household finances (88 percent); supporting academic achievement (88 percent); supporting parents and guardians (88 percent); easing administrative burden (86 percent); improving student behavior (76 percent); and building community within the school and district (76 percent).
School districts also reported that infrastructure challenges limited their ability to increase school meal participation and shared their concerns about the ripple effect that dramatic cuts to SNAP in H.R. 1 will have on child nutrition programs. Millions of people are losing SNAP benefits, and when families lose access to SNAP, children also lose direct certification for free school meals, putting them at risk of increased food insecurity.
“The need to expand and fortify school meals programs has never been more urgent. As states assume greater financial responsibility under new SNAP provisions in H.R. 1, prioritizing equitable access to free, nutritious school meals becomes a critical safeguard from hunger for the millions of children whose families are struggling to put food on the table,” said FitzSimons.
While research shows that school meals are the healthiest food consumed by children on an average day, forthcoming U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards based on the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines will likely add additional pressure to already strained operations. Schools will need more support to meet these updated requirements and to transition to more scratch-cooked models.
“We need to make sure that access and nutrition quality and appeal go hand in hand, and the new standards must be paired with more resources for school nutrition programs,” said FitzSimons.
To ensure schools are well-equipped to meet USDA’s updated nutrition standards and that every student has access to the meals they need for their health and learning, FRAC urges Congress to invest in school nutrition by passing legislation such as the Universal School Meals Program Act (H.R.8798/ S.4518) and the Feed Our Kids Act (H.R. 8728) so all schools can offer meals at no charge to all students, and the Healthy Meals Help Kids Learn Act (H.R.5753), which would increase school meal reimbursements.
Learn more about the report’s findings and takeaways.
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The Food Research & Action Center improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.