Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced that the third annual Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge will begin in January. In the 2024-25 school year, 58 schools successfully completed the Challenge – 20 more schools than the prior year – increasing the number of students who have access to a nutritious, filling breakfast at school.
“Giving learners the tools they need to succeed begins with ensuring their basic needs are met, and breakfast plays a critical role in helping every child start their day on the right foot,” said Acting Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe. “The Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge encourages schools to increase breakfast participation and make sustainable changes to incorporate more nutritious and local foods. The Challenge shows that when schools innovate, more students participate and can enjoy healthy food at their convenience.”
The Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge is a three-month program to encourage increased participation in the Universal Free Breakfast Program and recognize schools for increasing breakfast participation while implementing sustainable changes that incorporate more nutritious and local foods in their meal offerings.
In 2025, 58 schools successfully completed the Challenge. The 10 top-performing schools in 2025 were:
- Bethlehem Center Elementary School, Bethlehem-Center School District, Washington County
- Colonial Elementary School, Colonial School District, Montgomery County
- Minersville Jr./Sr. High School, Minersville Area School District, Schuylkill County
- Walton Farm Elementary School, North Penn School District, Montgomery County
- North Wales Elementary School, North Penn School District, Montgomery County
- Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship, Allegheny County
- Wallenpaupack Area High School, Wallenpaupack Area School District, Pike County
- Wallenpaupack North Intermediate School, Wallenpaupack School District, Pike County
- Wallenpaupack North Primary School, Wallenpaupack School District, Pike County
- Wallenpaupack Area South Elementary School, Wallenpaupack School District, Wayne County
While the top 10 schools with the greatest increase in participation were recognized at an event, all schools that successfully completed the challenge will receive a banner to hang in their school, a certificate, and a breakfast recipe book including recipes submitted by schools that completed the Challenge.
Wallenpaupack High School increased free-breakfast participation among students by 31 percent—and at South Elementary, 75 percent of students participated in free breakfast.
Challenge criteria are listed on the PDE website, and schools with the greatest success in participation will be recognized by the Shapiro Administration.
Additionally, PDE recently awarded $7.1 million in grant funding to 246 schools under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). Under the program, schools can receive reimbursement for the cost of making free fresh fruits and vegetables available to students throughout the school day. These fresh fruits and vegetables must be provided separately from the lunch or breakfast meal, in one or more areas of the school during the school day. The list of awardees and more information about the program can be found on PDE’s website.
The Shapiro Administration is committed to ensuring that all children and students have access to healthy meals all year long. That’s why Governor Shapiro delivered free breakfast for Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students during his 2023-24 budget. Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget continues to prioritize access to universal school breakfast, ensuring students’ minds and bodies stay fueled and ready to learn all year long.
Schools served 92.9 million breakfast meals during the past school year, an increase of over 11 million meals since the 2022-23 school year – the year before the Shapiro Administration delivered universal free breakfast in Pennsylvania. More than 70 million of those breakfasts were served to students at-risk for hunger or from low-income families.