The Reach of School Breakfast and Lunch During the 2022–2023 School Year

School meals are an important tool for combatting childhood food insecurity, yet far too many children missed out on the nutrition they need for their health and learning with the expiration of the pandemic-era nationwide waivers that allowed schools to offer school meals to all students at no charge, according to FRAC’s latest report, The Reach of School Breakfast and Lunch During the 2022–2023 School Year.

The report measures the reach of breakfast and lunch in the 2022–2023 school year from September through May — nationally and in each state — based on a variety of metrics and examines the impact of select trends and policies on program participation. The report compares total breakfast and lunch participation in 2022–2023 to 2021–2022.

The data is clear: Healthy School Meals for All policies offer an important strategy to ensure access to school meals. In addition to continued progress toward Healthy School Meals for All through state legislation, the Community Eligibility Provision offers high-need schools a path to Healthy School Meals for All. Maximizing participation in CEP remains an important tool for ensuring access to school meals for all students and mitigating the aftereffects of the pandemic.

School breakfast and lunch can — and should — be reaching more students. The advancement of Healthy School Meals for All through both state legislation and community eligibility, combined with proven best practices for increasing participation — such as implementing innovative breakfast models, ensuring enough time to eat, and serving high-quality, appealing meals — is the path forward to ensure all children have access to the nutritious school meals they need to learn and thrive.

It will take bold and targeted action on the local, state, and federal levels to ensure access to school meals. Additional investments on the federal and state level in making Healthy School Meals for All a reality is the most effective way to increase participation in both programs. On the local level, schools and advocates must recommit to the implementation of proven best practices that boost participation, such as breakfast after the bell, to eliminate the access barriers that keep breakfast participation trailing lunch. 

Implementing a breakfast after the bell service model has been shown to increase participation and can help reduce any stigma associated with eating breakfast at school. As school meals operations return to normal, expanding access through innovative breakfast service models can help to offset drops in participation.

There are three primary options for serving breakfast after the bell:

• Breakfast in the classroom: Meals are delivered to and eaten in the classroom at the start of the school day.
• “Grab and go”: Children (particularly older students) can quickly grab their breakfast from carts or kiosks in the hallway or the cafeteria line to eat in their classroom or in common areas.
• Second chance breakfast: Students are offered a second chance to eat breakfast after the school day starts. Many middle and high school students are not hungry first thing in the morning but are ready to eat breakfast after their first class of the day, helping them to focus on their classes until lunch time.