Universal free school meals can help improve student behaviour, according to a new study.
Researchers in the United States and South Korea have analysed data of 95,000 schools in the US, using information collected by the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights between the 2011–2012 and 2017–2018 academic years.
The study found that schools adopting universal free meal programmes saw out-of-school suspensions fall by around 10% among primary school pupils and by 6% among secondary school students.
Out-of-school suspension is a disciplinary measure where pupils are temporarily excluded from attending classes.
The punishment is common in countries including the UK and Spain, while banned in Sweden. Several European institutions have increasingly encouraged schools to favour more inclusive disciplinary approaches.
“Our findings highlight universal free meals as not just a nutrition policy, but a tool for improving school climate and equity, especially in schools that previously served fewer low‐income students,” said Andres Cuadros-Meñaca, a researcher at the University of Northern Iowa.
The effects in reducing out-of-school suspension were strongest in schools that had previously served fewer pupils eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Previous research had found no clear effect of universal free meals on suspensions.
Researcher say their new findings differ mainly because they used newer data and methods that “better account for schools adopting the policy” at different times.
Across Europe, approaches to school meals vary widely. Finland, Sweden and Estonia provide free school meals universally across most or all school years, while Latvia and Lithuania offer free meals for certain year levels.
Denmark and the Netherlands, on the other hand, do not operate nationwide free school meal programmes.
Meanwhile, 24.7% of children in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2022.
