PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Krista Ruffini
TI  - Universal Access to Free School Meals and Student Achievement
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.57.3.0518-9509R3
DP  - 2022 May 01
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 776--820
VI  - 57
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/57/3/776.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/57/3/776.full
SO  - J Hum Resour2022 May 01; 57
AB  - The school meals program is the largest nutritional assistance program for school-aged children. Whereas program eligibility historically was determined by family income, recent reforms allow schools to offer free meals to all students. This work evaluates the effect of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), the largest school-wide free meals program, on academic performance. I leverage within- and across-state variation in the timing of CEP participation and find universal free meals increases breakfast and lunch participation by 38 and 12 percent, respectively. Math performance improves in districts with baseline low free meal eligibility, particularly among racial/ethnic groups with low income-based participation rates.