Authors
Mary Curnutte, Leah Chapman, Ashely Kesack, Parisa Afsharian, Lucine Francis, Gina Genova, Erin Hager, Juliana Cohen
Published in
The Journal of school health. Volume 96. Issue 10. Pages e70244.
Abstract
Healthy diets can improve cognitive function; therefore, school nutrition policies may support academic performance. Prior systematic reviews documented positive associations between school nutrition-related policies and academics, but less is known about their associations with academic inequities. This review updates the evidence while addressing the gap on academic inequities.
Building on two prior systematic reviews (2021, 2023) of naturally-occurring during-school U.S. nutrition policies and academics (i.e., attendance, test scores, behavior), we conducted an updated systematic search using their established terms and synthesized evidence on academic equity (differences in subgroup outcomes, i.e., race, ethnicity, income).
This updated comprehensive review includes 33 studies (10 new, 23 from the prior reviews). Newly identified studies examined Universal Free School Meals (UFSM; n = 6), Breakfast After the Bell (BATB; n = 2), the School Breakfast Program (n = 1), and Recess Before Lunch (n = 1). Most reported positive or neutral academic associations. Most studies examining equity-related outcomes found larger academic improvements among subpopulations.
School nutrition policies can improve academic achievement while addressing educational equity.
UFSM and BATB equitably improve academic performance. More research is needed for other promising policies.
PMID:
42837131
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 07 Oct 2026.
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