The National School Lunch Program
Supporting Healthy, Well-Nourished Students
Balanced nutrition throughout the day contributes to student success in and out of the classroom. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) offers students fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and fat free or low fat milk with every school lunch. Updated federal nutrition standards also ensure these meals are within age-appropriate calorie levels and limit both unhealthy fats and sodium.
Multiple studies show that NSLP plays an important role in supporting obesity prevention and overall student health by improving children’s diets and combatting food insecurity:
Children receiving school lunches consume fewer empty calories and more milk, fruit, vegetables and fiber than their peers – they are also more likely to have appropriate intakes of calcium, vitamin A and zinc.
School lunches are healthier than typical packed lunches – school lunches contained fewer calories, fat, saturated fat and sugar than lunches brought from home.
School lunch participation is associated with a lower body mass index (BMI) – school and child care meals help children maintain a healthy weight.
NSLP reduces food insecurity, which is linked to negative health, development and educational outcomes such as slower progress in math and reading and a higher likelihood of repeating a grade.
NSLP serves nearly 30 million students each school day in approximately 95,000 public and private schools nationwide.
Year Added
2025