This year’s report, Ending Hunger in Our Schools with Breakfast in the Classroom, finds that 303,000 students are missing out on a daily school breakfast, even though low-income students often obtain up to half their daily calories from school meals. Statewide, 595,000 students eat lunch, while only 292,000 eat breakfast, indicating that there is an opportunity to feed thousands of children who may otherwise not have access to the important morning meal.

The report shows particularly concerning declines in high-poverty schools — defined as those where at least 60% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals — which have a legal requirement to serve breakfast after the bell. Participation in these schools has dropped from 58% in 2019 to just 48% in 2025. Most schools serve breakfast in the cafeteria before classes begin, making it difficult for some students to access, especially if they arrive at school on a bus shortly before classes begin.

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Participation rates would jump if schools switched to the after the bell Breakfast in the Classroom model, which could increase participation rates to 80% or more. If every high-poverty school reached 80% breakfast participation — a threshold many met in prior years — the state would draw down an estimated $73 million more annually in federal USDA reimbursements. At a time when districts face soaring food and labor costs, this is revenue currently “forfeited” by low participation, the report notes.