According to the latest data from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), moving school breakfast to after the bell is one of the most effective strategies to ensure children have access to a nutritious breakfast.  

Research shows that eating breakfast at school improves academic performance, health, and behavior. That’s why Austin ISD is offering breakfast, at no charge, to over 25,000 students daily, served in the classroom rather than in the cafeteria. 

Austin ISD will be celebrating National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) March 4-8 to remind the entire school community that school breakfast provides a healthy and energizing start to the day for students. At Austin ISD, school breakfast menus feature many scratch-cooked recipes such as granola and kolaches, as well as organic cereal options.  Menus also feature local bread, tortillas and fresh fruit a minimum of three days per week, often Texas-grown options.

“A healthy breakfast a is a great way to ensure students are getting the best education they can,” said Anneliese Tanner, Executive Director of Nutrition and Food Services at Austin ISD, “National School Breakfast Week is the perfect time for us to further educate parents and students about the benefits, like higher test scores and better attendance records, of good nutrition.”  

Austin ISD has made strides over the past year to increase breakfast participation through new breakfast in the classroom programs, helping reduce hunger and improve student learning.  Currently 52 Austin ISD schools participate in the program. Many of these schools are part of a national network supported by the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom. 

In 2017, Austin ISD was awarded grant funding from the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom-- a joint initiative from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation (NAESPF), the NEA Foundation and School Nutrition Foundation (SNF)—to increase participation in the School Breakfast Program.  

To apply for a grant and learn more, visit the Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom.

About National School Breakfast Week 

National School Breakfast Week was launched in 1989 to raise awareness of the availability of the School Breakfast Program, a federally assisted meal program operating in public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions since 1975.