Table 1.
Characteristics of a nationally representative sample of schools providing data on school lunch practices in 2014 (n=414)
| Variable | Unweighted | |
|---|---|---|
| n | % | |
| Grade level | ||
| Elementary school | 150 | 36.2 |
| Middle school | 121 | 29.2 |
| High school | 143 | 34.5 |
| Student race/ethnicitya | ||
| ≥66% non-Hispanic white | 159 | 38.4 |
| ≥50% non-Hispanic black | 85 | 20.5 |
| ≥50% Hispanic | 92 | 22.2 |
| Diverse or other majority | 78 | 18.8 |
| Localeab | ||
| Urban | 86 | 20.8 |
| Suburban | 143 | 34.5 |
| Rural | 134 | 32.4 |
| Township | 51 | 12.3 |
| Socioeconomic status (% students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals)a | ||
| Higher (≤40% eligible) | 167 | 40.3 |
| Medium (>40% to <75% eligible) | 167 | 40.3 |
| Lower (≥75% eligible) | 80 | 19.3 |
| Sizeac | ||
| Larger | 176 | 42.5 |
| Medium | 117 | 28.3 |
| Smaller | 121 | 29.2 |
| Regiond | ||
| West | 78 | 18.8 |
| Midwest | 118 | 28.5 |
| Northeast | 63 | 15.2 |
| South | 155 | 37.4 |
Sourced from school descriptor data from Market Data Retrieval (www.schooldata.com).
Locale is based on metro-centric locale designations made by the National Center for Education Statistics, based on each school’s physical address.
Size based on total student enrollment and varies by level: for elementary and middle school, small=≤300 students; medium=301 to 500 students; large=>500 students; for high school, small=≤350 students; medium=351 to 800 students; large=>800 students.
Region is based on US census regions. West (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY); Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI); Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT); South (AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV).