Private School Participation in the National School Lunch Program

• In Event: 41.083 - Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: 41.083-7 - The Impact of Information and Data in Education

Abstract

Private, non-profit schools have participated in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) since its beginnings, but the USDA does not track private school participation, instead leaving this to states. This limits policymaker and researcher understanding of the true extent of participation nationally. This study thus collected a census of the number and percentage of private schools participating in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Given the political history of school food, we also used descriptive and inferential statistics to determine whether state-level political dynamics impacted private schools’ participation. We found that, in 2014, 5224 private schools participated, with tremendous variation by state. Voting trends and political representation were unrelated to participation. Lessons for policy and research are discussed.

Authors

• Marcus B. Weaver-Hightower, University of North Dakota

• Hamzat Amoussa Koriko, University of North Dakota

• Robert H. Stupnisky, University of North Dakota