Assess the associations between the Eat Real school meal programme implementation (started in 2019) and school-level performance in standardised English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics (Math) tests in California.

A staggered difference-in-differences analysis using school-level panel data from 2017 to 2024 in California, with pre- and post-implementation data aligned to the phased rollout of the Eat Real programme across school districts. The analysis controlled for time-invariant school characteristics at baseline (2018).

Public K–12 schools in California.

Forty-nine schools that adopted the Eat Real programme for the ELA analysis (n = 2463 controls) and fifty adoptee schools for the Math analysis (n = 2465 controls). Schools were included based on data availability and were not selected randomly.

In 2018, prior to first adoption, on average, 49·9 % of students met or exceeded ELA standards, and 36·0 % did so in Math. Eat Real participation was associated with a significant 5·51 percentage point (pp) increase in ELA performance [95 % CI: 3·36–7·66], with effects sustained up to three years post-adoption. For Math, the overall effect was non-significant (1·96 pp, [–1·06 to 4·98]). Having noted this, students not meeting standards declined (–2·3 pp [–4·44 to –0·16]).

While further individual-level research is needed, these findings underlined a link between improved school nutrition and academic performance, supporting the idea that expanding access to high-quality, minimally processed meals may be a valuable area for further policy consideration.