More than 11M low-income students eat breakfast at school

AUSTIN, Texas — AUSTIN, Texas - School breakfast is getting healthier and reaching more children, according to new analysis by the Food Research and Action Center.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act was passed in 2010 to improve nutrition standards, and overall kids aren't turning up their noses. In the most recent school year, 1.8 million students ate breakfast at school in Texas, up by 33,000 over the previous year. Aaron Herrera, CEO at Hunger Free Texans, says creative tactics used by schools are part of the success.

"We see innovations such as breakfast on the bus, so it starts when the kids leave the home," he says. "There are even a lot of schools promoting breakfast in the classroom."

Herrera notes that when breakfast is only served in the cafeteria at a specific time, children who arrive just as the school bell rings miss out. According to the report, as nutrition standards were rolled out, participation increased for free and reduced-priced breakfasts. The number of students able to pay most of the cost remained stable.