One in five Texas families doesn't have enough food to eat. As a result, many kids go to school hungry. That鈥檚 why school nutrition programs are so important -- and why, for the first time, the nonprofit
The Dallas school district was honored for having a stand-out school food program. There are 63 districts in Texas with at least 10,000 kids, 60 percent of them qualifying for free or reduced meals. Dallas ISD is one of them, and also has one of the top ten nutrition programs.
Children At Risk has always ranked schools for academics. Managing Director Ron Sylvan says nutrition plays a big role in students doing well in school.
鈥淚 think that people sometimes fail to realize the connection between kids having full stomachs when they walk into the classroom and how that impacts their ability to learn," he says.
The rankings were based on participation in school meal and after-school meal programs. Dallas was the only North Texas district in the top ten. Brownsville, San Antonio and Rio Grande City also made the list.
The districts ranked the highest had about 80 percent of eligible students eating breakfast at school.
