Philadelphia, PA – Today, Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe joined the American Dairy Association North East (ADA North East), Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Avant, cheerleaders, and mascot SWOOP to name the Commonwealth’s Governor’s Breakfast Champions during an event at Lincoln Financial Field. The Breakfast Champions represent the top 10 schools with the greatest participation in the second annual Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge.
“Every child deserves to start the day ready to learn, and breakfast is a critical part of that routine,” said Acting Secretary Rowe. “The Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge shows that when schools innovate, whether with grab-and-go carts or breakfast in the classroom, we can remove barriers to learning and give students the healthy start to the day they need to succeed.”
The Challenge is a three-month program to recognize schools for implementing sustainable changes that incorporate more nutritious and local foods in their meal offerings, including prioritizing low-sugar and locally sourced options.
The Challenge also recognizes schools that make breakfast accessible to students, such as Wallenpaupack South Elementary School’s grab-and-go cart program that visits classrooms every morning to make sure each student can choose a healthy start to their day. At Colonial Elementary School, breakfast participation increased when the building’s principal began making daily announcements to promote school breakfast.
This year, 59 schools successfully completed the Challenge – each boosting their breakfast participation by 8 to 17 percent compared to the previous year. The top 10 2025 Governor’s Breakfast Champions recognized today 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 the 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.
The Shapiro Administration is committed to ensuring that all children and students have access to healthy meals all year long. That’s why Governor Josh Shapiro delivered free breakfast for Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students for the past two years. The 2025-26 budget proposal builds on that progress with a $10.8 million increase to continue the universal free breakfast program, making sure students have access to healthy meals to start their day on the right foot.
During the past school year, 92.9 million breakfast meals were served in schools, an increase of over 11 million meals since the 2022-23 school year. More than 70 million of those breakfasts were served to students at-risk for hunger or from low-income families.
The Governor’s School Breakfast Challenge is supported by ADA North East, a group of professionals dedicated to the well-being of students through sound nutrition. Through school-based programs, ADA North East provides grants and other resources that highlight the vital role dairy plays in student growth and academic performance, and ensures all students have daily access to school meals.
“When students get the school breakfasts they need, they grow up smarter, healthier and stronger,” said John Chrisman, CEO of ADA North East. “This is exactly the mission of Pennsylvania dairy farmers who have made it their life’s mission to nourish their communities.”