More than 140,000 additional students ate school-provided lunches daily last year after Michigan’s Democratic-led Legislature approved $190 million to provide free meals for all.

New data released by the state on Tuesday points to a significant jump in breakfasts and lunches at Michigan schools since adoption of the universal program, which removed income restrictions for free meals.

In the 2023-24 school year, 477,000 students ate breakfast at school daily compared to 379,000 the year before, a nearly 26% jump, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

Daily school lunches jumped by nearly 20%, according to MDE. In total, 867,000 students ate lunch daily at school compared to 723,000 the year before.

Some Republicans in the Michigan Legislature have questioned the universal meal program, arguing taxpayers should not fund free meals for students from wealthy families.

But Democrats and public education advocacy groups contend removing income restrictions reduces the stigma associated with receiving free meals, which provide nutrition important to learning.

“Our children need to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch in order to learn,” State Superintendent Michael Rice said in a statement. “Access to nutritious meals is good for Michigan students’ health and good for their academic achievement.”

The universal program uses state funds to build on existing federal funds for school meals.

In total, the state budget provided $190 million for the universal school meal program last school year and $200 million for the program for the 2024-2025 school year.

Lawmakers instituted the universal program a year after the federal government ended a pandemic-era program that offered free school meals for all students. The state program also required participating school districts to forgive student meal debt.

Michigan is one of eight states with universal school meal programs, according to the Food Research & Action Center.

“We know that it’s easier to focus on learning in class with a full belly, and we believe that every child, no matter how much money their family has, deserves to eat,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement.

This article is being republished through a syndication agreement with Bridge Michigan. Bridge Michigan is Michigan’s largest nonprofit news service and one of the nation’s leading and largest nonprofit civic news providers. Their coverage is nonpartisan, fact-based, and data-driven. Find them online at https://www.bridgemi.com/.