Massachusetts is asking schools to get at least 60% of students participating in breakfast programs, as state figures show breakfast reaching far fewer children than lunch despite both meals being free.
Gov. Maura Healey announced the Strengthening School Breakfast Challenge Oct. 23. Suggested changes include serving breakfast near school entrances and giving students a second opportunity to eat after the day has started.
The administration said an average of 291,792 students ate school breakfast each day in fall 2025, compared with 588,654 who ate school lunch. Those are meal-participation counts for that period, rather than a measurement of how many students went hungry.
The challenge also encourages schools to involve students in menu planning, prepare more food from basic ingredients and buy more local produce, grains and proteins.
Project Bread is providing schools with free assistance on service models, outreach and evaluation. New England Dairy is offering resources and funding opportunities. The Eos Foundation offers grants of up to $20,000 per school and practical assistance to establish or expand breakfast in classrooms.
The statewide challenge's 60% goal differs from Eos' goal of reaching at least 80% of students through classroom breakfast. Neither number is an announced participation result.
The effort builds on existing universal free school meals. Suggested changes concern how breakfast reaches students during the school day.