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School meal quality and academic performance

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  • Anderson, Michael L
  • Gallagher, Justin
  • Ritchie, Elizabeth Ramirez

Abstract

Improving the nutritional content of public school meals is a topic of intense policy interest. A main motivation is the health of school children, and, in particular, the rising childhood obesity rate. Medical and nutrition literature has long argued that a healthy diet can have a second important impact: improved cognitive function. In this paper, we test whether offering healthier meals affects student achievement as measured by test scores. Our sample includes all California (CA) public schools over a five-year period. We estimate difference-in-differences style regressions using variation that takes advantage of frequent meal-vendor contract turnover. Students at schools that contract with a healthy school-meal vendor score higher on CA state achievement tests. We do not find any evidence that healthier school meals lead to a decrease in obesity rates. The test score gains, while modest in magnitude, come at very low cost.

Suggested Citation

  • Anderson, Michael L & Gallagher, Justin & Ritchie, Elizabeth Ramirez, 2018. "School meal quality and academic performance," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt9w943058, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:agrebk:qt9w943058
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    Cited by:

    1. Davis, Will & Kreisman, Daniel & Musaddiq, Tareena, 2023. "The Effect of Universal Free School Meals on Child BMI," IZA Discussion Papers 16387, IZA Network @ LISER.
    2. Gao, Yuan & Lopez, Rigoberto A. & Liao, Ruili & Liu, Xiaoou, 2022. "Public health shocks, learning and diet improvement," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    3. Alex Hollingsworth & Jiafang Mike Huang & Ivan Rudik & Nicholas J. Sanders, 2025. "A Thousand Cuts: Cumulative Lead Exposure Reduces Academic Achievement," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 60(3), pages 950-976.
    4. Abrahamsson, Sara & Bütikofer, Aline & Karbownik, Krzysztof, 2023. "Swallow This: Childhood and Adolescent Exposure to Fast Food Restaurants, BMI, and Cognitive Ability," CEPR Discussion Papers 18213, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Anna Aizer & Adriana Lleras‐Muney, 2025. "The safety net and child health and well‐being: evidence from the United States and the United Kingdom," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 46(1), pages 37-63, March.
    6. Toossi, Saied & Todd, Jessica E. & Guthrie, Joanne & Ollinger, Michael, 2024. "The National School Lunch Program: Background, Trends, and Issues, 2024 Edition," Economic Information Bulletin 347312, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. Paul Gertler & Tadeja Gracner, 2022. "The Sweet Life: The Long-Term Effects of a Sugar-Rich Early Childhood," NBER Working Papers 30799, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Gao, Yuan & Lopez, Rigoberto & Liao, Ruili & Liu, Xiaoou, 2021. "Public Health Shocks, Learning, and Persistent Diet Improvement," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 314973, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Kurtz, Michael D. & Conway, Karen Smith & Mohr, Robert D., 2020. "Weekend feeding (“BackPack”) programs and student outcomes," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    10. Jacqz, Irene, 2022. "Toxic test scores: The impact of chemical releases on standardized test performance within U.S. schools," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    11. Zhou, Yanran & Ren, Jingru & Zheng, Xiaodong, 2024. "Feeding for a brighter future: The long-term labor market consequences of school meals in rural China," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    12. Zhao, Chunkai & Chen, Boou & Song, Zhiyong, 2024. "School nutritious feeding and cognitive abilities of students in poverty: Evidence from the nutrition improvement program in China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    13. Marcus, Michelle, 2025. "Testing above the limit: Drinking water contamination and test scores," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    14. Abouk, Rahi & Adams, Scott, 2022. "Breakfast After the Bell: The Effects of Expanding Access to School Breakfasts on the Weight and Achievement of Elementary School Children," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    15. Sof√≠a Collante Z√°rate & Catherine RodrÔøΩguez & Fabio Sanchez, 2022. "El poder de un refrigerio. La alimentaci√≥n escolar y sus efectos educativos en Colombia," Documentos CEDE 20223, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    16. Marcus, Michelle & Yewell, Katherine G., 2022. "The Effect of Free School Meals on Household Food Purchases: Evidence from the Community Eligibility Provision," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    17. Askelson, Natoshia M. & Brady, Patrick J. & Jung, Youn Soo & Nguyen-Hoang, Phuong & Ryan, Grace & Scheidel, Carrie & Delger, Patti, 2022. "Using predicted marginal effects to assess the impact of rurality and free and reduced lunch eligibility on a school-based nutrition intervention," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    18. David Frisvold & Joseph Price, 2019. "The Contribution of the School Environment to the Overall Food Environment Experienced by Children," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(1), pages 106-123, July.
    19. Fang, Guanfu & Zhu, Ying, 2022. "Long-term impacts of school nutrition: Evidence from China’s school meal reform," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    20. Jingru Ren & Xiaodong Zheng & Rodney Smith & Xiangming Fang, 2023. "School feeding program and urban–rural inequality of child health: Evidence from China," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(S1), pages 1399-1416, December.
    21. Benjamin Ly Serena, 2022. "Cognitive consequences of iodine deficiency in adolescence: evidence from salt iodization in Denmark," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 124(3), pages 869-902, July.
    22. Austin, Wes & Heutel, Garth & Kreisman, Daniel, 2019. "School bus emissions, student health and academic performance," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 109-126.
    23. Ruffini, Krista & Öztürk, Orgül & Pekgün, Pelin, 2025. "In-kind government assistance and crowd-out of charitable services: Evidence from free school meals," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    24. Sof√≠a Collante Z√°rate & Catherine Rodr√≠guez Orgales & Fabio Sanchez Torres, 2024. "The power of a meal. School feeding and its educational effects: Evidence from Colombia," Documentos CEDE 21155, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    25. Bonomo, Therese & Schanzenbach, Diane Whitmore, 2024. "Trends in the school lunch program: Changes in selection, nutrition & health," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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