Farm to School Census Results Overview
Want to know more about how farm to school is being cultivated in your State? Select a State or SFA using the search tools below to dig deeper into what is going on in your community. You can also learn more about the Census data and how we gathered it.
Also check out the interactive maps below with key highlights from the 2023 Farm to School Census.
Overall Key Census Findings
Learn more about top findings from the Farm to School Census.
SFAs using local food in school year 2022-2023
SFAs report using local food in a variety of Child Nutrition Programs. Using local foods at lunch was most commonly reported.
2,698 SFAs
SFAs with edible gardens
About 15% of SFAs operate at least one garden where food is grown. Gardens are a popular way to teach students where their food comes from, to inspire youth toward careers in agriculture, and to produce food for use in Child Nutrition Program meals or snacks.
National spending on local foods by SFAs
Farm to school SFAs estimated that they spent about $1.8 billion on local food during the 2022-2023 school year, about 16% of their total food spending.
States across the nation are featuring local foods on their school menus
This data reflects the percentage of school food authorities (SFAs) that reported serving local food in school meals in each State.
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Farm to school isn’t just about what is on the lunch tray
This data shows the different strategies that responding school food authorities (SFAs) participating in farm to school use to teach children about food, nutrition, and agriculture and how many SFAs use these strategies.
| Percent of SFAs | Total SFAs | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Expose students to agricultural careers | 28.5% |
5,232 | |
| Hold student field trips to farms | 17.2% |
3,164 | |
| Hold taste tests & cooking demos | 17.1% |
3,133 | |
| Have farmers visit | 8.6% |
1,581 | |
| Use USDA Team Nutrition materials | 6.4% |
1,169 |
Edible school gardens are growing in States across the country
This data reflects the percentage of school food authorities (SFAs) that reported operating food producing gardens in each State.
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