Assessing the impact of free school meals on academic outcomes in NC K-12 public schools

Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center 

The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a federal policy under the National School Lunch Act that allows schools and districts serving high-poverty populations to provide meals to all students. Despite its potential to improve student outcomes and reduce administrative burden, a substantial share of CEP-eligible schools choose not to participate. We seek to characterize the relationship between CEP participation and academic outcomes among third- through eighth-grade public school students in North Carolina. Using administrative data from the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC), we conduct an analysis of academic outcome trajectories in schools that adopt CEP relative to non-participating schools. By documenting this impact, this study contributes to policy discussions surrounding school nutrition and educational equity.