For students at Pacific Drive Elementary School in Fullerton, the school day now begins with a side of breakfast.
The Fullerton School District gives more than 600 students the opportunity to enjoy a free, nutritious morning meal right in their classrooms, thanks to the expanded Breakfast in the Classroom program. The initiative launched at Pacific Drive on Aug. 17, building on its introduction at Commonwealth Elementary during the 2023-24 school year and expansion to Richman Elementary the following year.
Each morning, students from kindergarten through sixth grade are served a breakfast that consists of an entrée like chocolate banana oat muffins and bacon, egg and cheese breakfast pockets alongside fruit, with milk available.
While students eat their breakfast, teachers take attendance, review previous work or share morning announcements without carving out extra time from the school day — making nutritious meals part of the routine to help students start their schooldays feeling focused and prepared for class.
More than $52,000 has been granted to the district to fund the program across three campuses through the No Kid Hungry nonprofit.
“Breakfast in the Classroom allows us to meet students where they are and make a nutritious morning meal an easy, natural part of their school day,” said Victor Trejo, FSD Director of Nutrition Services. “By bringing breakfast directly to students, we’re creating a positive morning routine that allows them to settle in and focus on learning.”
The Fullerton School District served approximately 1.9 million breakfasts, lunches, suppers and snacks during the 2025-26 school year, with over 50,000 meals during the summer. Free meals continue to be available to all Fullerton students throughout the school year.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- NBC4 recently featured the Santa Ana Unified School District’s scratch kitchen which is expanding its school menu this year to offer students fresh, flavorful meals ranging from chicken Alfredo to birria.
- As the 2026-27 academic year gets underway across the county, OC Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stefan Bean offers a shared call to action for Orange County educators, students, families and communities in his latest column, “All. Together. Now.”
- A love of history has taken Brea Junior High School seventh-grader Logan Thielen all the way to the national stage of the upcoming Civics Bee Championship in Washington, D.C. after winning the California National Civics Bee this summer.
- Orange County teachers and National History Day coaches are invited to begin the new historical competition season with a kick-off meeting to learn about the registration process, receive updates on category rules and hear insights on this year’s theme, “Innovation in History.”
- OC schools and local officials are taking new steps to address e-bike safety, from Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s banning e-bikes at K-8 campuses to a new countywide safety registry designed to connect schools and law enforcement. Meanwhile, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has launched a countywide e-bike buyback event for Sept. 13 at Angel Stadium, offering gift cards in exchange for e-bikes and other small electric vehicles.
- With students returning to school across California, the state Office of Traffic Safety has launched its “ABCs for School Zone Safety” campaign, urging drivers to slow down, watch for students walking and biking, and follow school-zone traffic laws. The campaign arrives alongside increased California Highway Patrol enforcement in school zones and around school buses through the end of August.
- Huntington Beach’s Sowers Middle School will welcome two new assistant principals when students return Sept. 1, restoring administrative staffing after the community voiced concerns over proposed cuts.
- A local drive, co-sponsored by AT&T and the nonprofit Estrella Family Foundation, provided colorful new backpacks and school supplies like lined notebooks and pencils to students throughout the Fullerton School District.
- Laguna Beach Unified teacher Kathleen Margaretich was recently named a 2026 Outstanding K-12 STEM Educator for helping students explore scientific concepts through classroom experiments and hands-on problem solving. Margaretich was among 11 OC educators and community leaders recognized by OCDE for their work in STEM.
- Eligible school districts and county offices of education across California are set to receive about $450 million in career technical education funding to help create and maintain quality career education pathways for students throughout K-12 campuses, reported by EdSource.
- EdSource reported several education bills are moving through the California Senate and the state Assembly, including measures addressing school accountability, student cell phone use, educator workforce issues and funding for public schools as lawmakers approach the final weeks of the legislative session.
- With no specific age requirement in California law for children to walk to school alone, the Sacramento Bee recently shared tips from health care professionals to help parents determine when their child is ready and build the skills needed to stay safe along the way.
- Several Orange County schools have welcomed students back to campus for the 2026-27 school year, with districts including Saddleback Valley Unified, Irvine Unified, Capistrano Unified and Newport-Mesa Unified sharing highlights from the first days of classes.
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