Consistent access to nutritious food plays an important role in students’ ability to learn, focus, and succeed in school. The connection between nutrition and academic performance extends far beyond eating a good breakfast before a test. For students experiencing food insecurity, limited access to healthy food can affect concentration, mood, memory, and their ability to fully engage in learning. In this article, learn how nutrition can affect students’ ability to focus, learn, and succeed, and explore ways schools and caregivers can support students experiencing food insecurity.

How Nutrition Supports Learning

I read an interesting article by Stephen Sawchuk in Education Week, referring to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which showed how the timing of food stamp availability can affect student’s test scores. This study found that low-income students who took the SAT near the end of their SNAP benefit cycle scored lower than students who took it soon after receiving benefits. 

My own experience working to feed hungry people for the last 20 years suggests that availability of nutritious food is vital for academic success every day.

Think of an athlete training for a big event. A competitive runner would never step up to the blocks to run a sprint or a marathon without months of careful consideration of nutrition being a key factor to success in running that race.

Taking high-stakes assessments for college is the intellectual version of preparing for that big race, yet we often just consider that kids need to “make sure they have a good breakfast before attending the test.” Good advice, certainly, but what about the weeks and months leading up to the test?

The study Sawchuk referenced shows that youth who are food insecure are likely to score significantly worse on SAT tests than those who come from food secure households. That situation could affect the rest of their lives. 

This is one reason nutrition and learning are closely connected. Students need consistent access to food that supports their growing bodies and developing brains. For educators and caregivers, understanding how nutrition affects students can help put concentration, mood, engagement, and academic performance into a broader context.

How Food Insecurity Affects Students

Food insecurity means that a family does not have enough money to provide sufficient nutritious food for the entire month. Families can become food insecure for part of the month—when all the bills are paid, but they are waiting for another paycheck and surviving on little money for food. Another situation is where a problem—like medical bills or a broken car—means there is suddenly less money for food. At the more extreme end are families that are living in poverty and face food insecurity month in and month out.

Food insecurity can have an impact on students’ ability to learn and participate fully in school. The effects of hunger on learning can include difficulty concentrating, changes in mood, and challenges staying focused on academic tasks. Over time, these challenges can contribute to differences in academic performance and student achievement.

The problem with food insecurity is its invisible nature. SNAP or food stamps are hard to get and are not a magic solution to the food insecurity problems of millions of Americans. As caregivers or teachers, we often go to other possible problem areas before we consider the power of insufficient healthy food to affect mood and focus. We know that kids (and ourselves) typically need a snack to get our brains charged up to do homework or to take on an arduous mental task. It rarely occurs to adults who have easy access to food that the problem might be more challenging than one that can be remedied with some apple slices and peanut butter.

Understanding student food insecurity also means recognizing that food insecurity can look different from student to student. A child may come to school every day and participate in class while still experiencing uncertainty about where their next meal will come from.

Recognizing Possible Signs of Food Insecurity

Teachers and caregivers may be among the adults best positioned to notice changes in a student’s behavior, energy, mood, or ability to focus. At the same time, food insecurity can be difficult to recognize because families and students may not feel comfortable talking about their circumstances.

How Do I Find Out If Food Insecurity Is a Problem?

The USDA has a nine-question questionnaire that is designed for youth ages 12 and older to answer so that you can assess whether they are food insecure. As with all data-led questionnaires, there are twice as many questions as the average person feels like answering. It’s worth it, though, to assess a student’s food security and determine whether it is high, marginal, low, or very low, which is useful information for any teacher or caregiver.

It is asking a lot for a food insecure young person to answer all these questions and to answer them truthfully, however. So even if you don’t want to use the full form, you can still get a broad picture of the situation by using a few of the questions in conversation, such as, “Did you have to skip a meal because there wasn’t enough money for food?” or “Has the size of your meal been cut because there wasn’t enough money for food?” or “Do you think you are eating less healthy food because there isn’t enough money for it?”

These conversations can help educators and caregivers better understand a student’s circumstances and identify opportunities for supporting food-insecure students with dignity and care.

How Schools and Caregivers Can Help

Once you’ve identified students who need support, help connect them with your local free food distribution centers. If you aren’t sure where those are, you can call your local 211/311 or go to Feeding America’s “Find your local food bank” page to identify pantries where students can get food.

Schools can also connect families with school nutrition programs, community food resources, food banks, and other local services. For schools looking for a more direct way to support families, a school food pantry can help provide access to healthy food during the school week and beyond. Explore these six steps for opening a school food pantry and creating an additional source of support for food-insecure students and their families.

Students can also play an active role in building awareness and supporting their communities. Learn how kids can LEAP into action against food insecurity by learning, empathizing, acting, and persisting in the fight against hunger.

For educators and caregivers, supporting student nutrition is one practical way to help create the conditions students need to learn, participate, and thrive.

Supporting Students for Academic Success

Whatever approach you take, as a “coach” for your students’ academic success, if you consider providing a high level of ongoing food security for your “team,” you will have conquered a big obstacle on the route to success. Understanding the connection between nutrition and academic performance can help educators and caregivers recognize how consistent access to nutritious food supports students’ ability to focus, learn, and participate in school. By recognizing possible signs of food insecurity and connecting students and families with school nutrition programs, food banks, and community resources, we can help ensure that hunger does not stand in the way of learning.