A mural at Thurgood Marshall High School in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood
Research continues to show that kids do better in school and in life when they start the day with a nutritious meal. The simple act of eating school breakfast benefits a child’s mood, motivation and the mental clarity necessary to learn.
While ALL students in California eat school breakfast and lunch at no cost, barriers still persist. Issues beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation, lack of access to healthcare, or stigma, continue to force students to go without breakfast. Hunger can lead to chronic absenteeism (missing 15 or more school days for any reason), difficulty learning, as well as increased behavioral and health problems.
Eating a school breakfast can reduce chronic absenteeism by as much as 6% and improve a student’s success in reading and math. Additionally, it helps teachers have calmer classrooms and there are fewer trips to the nurse’s office. Making school breakfast a seamless part of the school day by serving it after the bell can also have a huge impact at home.
For nearly a decade of the No Kid Hungry campaign here in California, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has been a longstanding No Kid Hungry champion and collaborator. Through strategic grant funding, collaborative organizations, and technical assistance, No Kid Hungry has supported SFUSD’s Student Nutrition Services and their mission to nourish 50,000 students with healthy food.
Today, students across San Francisco public schools, from Cobb Elementary in the Upper Fillmore neighborhood and Denman Middle School in Mission Terrace to Thurgood Marshall High School in Bayview, all start their day with a nourishing school breakfast in the classroom with their peers.
Student Nutrition Services professionals share how breakfast in the classroom works at Cobb Elementary.
What Is Breakfast After the Bell?
There are three Breakfast After the Bell models that schools can adopt to ensure their scholars eat breakfast and start their school day ready to learn. The Breakfast in the Classroom model, along with Second Chance breakfast and Grab-and-Go to the classroom, removes obstacles for families by allowing students who missed breakfast in the morning to have a nutritious meal to eat.
In their report, Transforming the Student Dining Experience: Ten Years of Change in the San Francisco Unified School District, SFUSD’s Student Nutrition Services (SNS) experimented with and innovated programming to expand access to school meals despite facing many challenges along the way.
At schools without breakfast in the classroom, 17% of students eat breakfast on average. Whereas, at schools with breakfast in the classroom, 61% of students eat breakfast on average.
Adopting the breakfast in the classroom model presented a compelling financial imperative for SFUSD by maximizing federal school meal reimbursements and improving the overall viability of school nutrition programs. Traditional breakfast models, where students must arrive at school before the first bell, often suffered low participation due to timing and social stigma, causing the district to miss out on significant federal funding intended for student nutrition.
Transitioning to breakfast in the classroom dramatically increased the number of reimbursable meals served. These federal funds are versatile, covering not only food costs, but also preparation, supplies, salaries, and equipment. Beyond its immediate revenue and its ability to reduce the pressure on the district’s general fund, the model supports long-term district success by reducing chronic absenteeism by 6% and increasing graduation likelihood by 20%, ensuring that the SNS functions as a foundational pillar for academic and economic achievement.
What does breakfast in the classroom look like in San Francisco public schools?
- The day starts with school cafeteria staff preparing cooler bags filled with an entree, fruit, juice and milk. Think of a small carton of milk or yogurt, an apple or banana, and a granola bar, cereal or muffin.
- After cooler bags are prepared, either school staff or students have the task of picking up the cooler bags and bringing them to their classroom. Assigned as a role to one or two students, this provides a sense of responsibility and leadership.
- What happens next depends on the teacher. Some teachers have the bags right at the door, allowing students to grab the required breakfast items as they head to their desks. Other teachers dismiss students by tables or groups to pick-up their meals.
- As students eat their breakfast at their desks, teachers can take attendance, listen to morning announcements or homeroom time activities.
Integrating breakfast into the classroom allows that period to count toward daily instructional minutes. Educators frequently maximize this time by handling routine morning tasks, such as collecting assignments. Additionally, many teachers leverage the meal as an educational opportunity to instruct students on health and nutrition, alongside lessons on recycling and environmental sustainability.
A Chefs’ Field Trip in Support of Ending Childhood Hunger
No Kid Hungry culinary champions and supporters include Chef Nelson German, Ted Cizma, Adam Sobel, Daniel Garcia, Carlos Delgado, Monique Feybesse, Lord Maynard Llera, and Tanya Holland.
In February 2026, No Kid Hungry brought together 10 influential culinary supporters to deepen their connection to their industry peers and to No Kid Hungry’s mission through hands-on programmatic exposure. The trip featured intensive site visits, including a tour of the Oakland Unified School District’s Central Kitchen and a collaborative Student Cooking Quick Fire Challenge where chefs paired up with Skyline High School students to create a delicious dish. In San Francisco, the chefs observed a breakfast in the classroom service at Cobb Elementary School and learned how SFUSD’s SNS runs the largest public food service operation in San Francisco. During the trip, culinary supporters discovered that each day, more than 200 staff members serve food to a diverse population of more than 50,000 students, with over 52 unique languages and dialects spoken, at 125 schools–all on a tight budget in a highly regulated system.
“A hungry student can’t learn, yet so many of our students face the school day on an empty stomach. That is why bringing ‘Breakfast After the Bell’ to SFUSD is so vital. It transforms breakfast from a rush before school into a seamless part of the educational day. Together with No Kid Hungry, we are making sure that our schools nourish the whole child—because when we fuel their bodies, we unlock their endless potential to thrive.” – Jennifer LeBarre, SFUSD Child Nutrition Services Executive Director
“Feeding people is why I became a chef, and that commitment extends beyond the walls of my restaurant. Childhood hunger affects far too many families, and I’m proud to support No Kid Hungry’s work to ensure more children have reliable access to nutritious meals.” – Chef Nelson German, Chef/Owner alaMar Kitchen & Bar | Sobre Mesa | Meski
“What is so rewarding is hearing staff share that they’ve noticed a positive behavioral change in students after Breakfast in the Classroom implementation. This actual insight from staff who work with the students daily is the strongest feedback we can receive to know our efforts are having a positive impact.” – Anthony Calegari-Heimuli, SFUSD Child Nutrition Programs Supervisor
“Our collaboration with SFUSD represents a powerful commitment to ensuring no child starts their school day hungry. By building a strong relationship with school leadership, teachers, school staff and families, and fortifying the district’s innovative ‘Future Dining Experience,’ we are successfully implementing sustainable breakfast after the bell models that meet students’ basic needs and empower them to thrive academically and beyond.” – Mariela Donis, No Kid Hungry Associate Director
Ways You Can Help
You can ensure kids have the nutrition they need to thrive in and out of the classroom and reach their full potential in a variety of ways:
- Donate. $1 can help provide 10 meals* for kids. Your support will help us fund meal programs all over the country and help us advocate for policies that will help kids get the meals they need.” *Donations help support programs that feed kids; No Kid Hungry does not provide individual meals. Meal equivalencies vary. Learn more at NoKidHungry.org/OneDollar
- Advocate for kids: Reach out to your elected officials and ask them to do more to end childhood hunger. Tell your lawmaker to advocate for policies that will help kids get the meals they need.
Last update: September 8, 2026
