Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced that the second annual Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge will begin in January. Last year, 37 schools successfully completed the Challenge by increasing the number of students who eat breakfast at school and adding healthier breakfast options for kids.
“The key to healthy development is eating a nutritious breakfast each morning, and Pennsylvania’s schools are helping their students start their day on the right foot with free breakfast in the classroom,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “Last year’s Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge helped increase breakfast participation by 10 million meals, and we encourage even more schools to take the Challenge this year.”
The Shapiro Administration is committed to ensuring that all children and students have access to healthy meals all year long. That’s why Governor Shapiro delivered free breakfast for Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students last year. The 2024-25 budget builds on that progress with a $16.7 million increase to continue the universal free breakfast program, making sure students have access to healthy meals to start their day on the right foot, and making sure no kid goes hungry during the summer by supporting the summer food service program.
Over the past school year, 91.4 million breakfast meals were served in schools, an increase of nearly 10 million meals since the 2022-23 school year. More than 7 million of those breakfasts were served to students at-risk for hunger or from low-income families.
The Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge is a three-month program to encourage increased participation in the Universal Free Breakfast Program and recognize schools for increasing breakfast participation while implementing sustainable changes that incorporate more nutritious and local foods in their meal offerings.
In 2024, 37 schools successfully completed the Challenge. The 10 top-performing schools in 2024 were:
- Bethlehem-Center Elementary School, Bethlehem-Center School District
- Colonial Elementary School, Colonial School District
- Gettysburg Montessori Charter School
- Joanna Connell Elementary School, Erie City School District
- Oak Park Elementary School, North Penn School District
- Oakview Elementary School, Lakeview School District
- Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship
- Pleasant Valley Elementary School, Pleasant Valley School District
- South Elementary School, Wallenpaupack Area School District
- Wallenpaupack High School, Wallenpaupack Area School District
Wallenpaupack High School increased free-breakfast participation among students by 31%—and at South Elementary, 75% of students participated in free breakfast.
Challenge criteria are listed on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) website, and later this year, schools with the greatest success in participation will be recognized by the Shapiro Administration.