Urban School Food Alliance Releases 2025 Annual Report: The State of Urban School Nutrition

Washington, D.C. – February 23, 2026 – The Urban School Food Alliance (USFA), a national coalition of the country’s largest urban school districts dedicated to advancing high-quality, nutritious school meals, today announced the release of its 2025 Annual Report, titled The State of Urban School Nutrition.

The 38-page report details The Alliance’s progress across its three strategic goals — Influence, Support, and Build — while highlighting how collective action among 19 member districts is transforming school nutrition nationwide. Serving 3.8 million students across 6,889 schools and delivering 657 million meals annually with $1.35 billion in combined purchasing power, USFA continues to set the standard for innovation, sustainability, and access in school food programs.

Organized into four sections, About the Alliance, Influence, Support, and Build, the report showcases 2025 achievements including:

• Influence: Eight Team Up procurement trainings held across the country, five Local Producer Webinars connecting 62 school districts and 247 producers, the launch of the new School Bites: Plant-Forward Edition K-12 recipe book, the updated 2025 K-12 Specification Guide, and national media coverage including features in TIME Magazine, The 74, and School Business Now.
• Support: Winter and Fall Member Meetings in San Antonio and Boston focused on collective power and central kitchen strategies, the 3rd Annual Cooking for Healthy Kids training with the Culinary Institute of America, the inaugural Foodservice Equipment Summit, and expanded best-practice sharing and member innovation awards.
• Build: Implementation of GrowthZone association software for stronger member collaboration, reinstatement of the quarterly Urban Update newsletter, a 2025 Member Climate Survey, refreshed membership resources, and continued organizational efficiency with 85% of funding directed straight to programming.

Dr. Katie Wilson, SNS, Executive Director of the Urban School Food Alliance, stated:

“This may be a farewell to 2025, but it opens the door to exciting new initiatives in 2026. The Urban School Food Alliance stands alone with the boots-on-the-ground experience, $1.35 billion in collective purchasing power, and passionate member districts committed to ensuring every child has access to healthy, fresh food no matter the circumstances. We are proud to lead this collaborative work that strengthens communities through better school nutrition nationwide.”

Maggie Prieto, Board Chairperson and representative from the School District of Palm Beach County, added:

“Our member districts are the secret ingredient that keeps this Alliance thriving. Their unwavering collaboration, innovative spirit, and dedication to students have delivered better food choices, stronger sustainability practices, and real progress in nourishing the next generation. We are truly cooking up something special together.”

The full 2025 Annual Report is now available for viewing or download at: https://bit.ly/USFA2025-AnnualReport

For more information about the Urban School Food Alliance and its work, visit www.UrbanSchoolFoodAlliance.org.

For media inquiries, interviews, or further information contact:
Melissa Mayer, Media Consultant, Urban School Food Alliance
[email protected]