How good are the school lunches in Vermont? Pretty good, report says. See ranking

School in Vermont is starting up again, which means another year of school lunches.

As a parent, you're not exactly there with your children to assess the cafeteria food's quality, but you would hope the school lunches are healthy and nutritious for the kids there. It would be nice to know for sure, though.

Good news for Vermont parents: the state has the best student lunches in the U.S., according to ProCare Therapy's State of School Lunch Report.

The report took into account participation in the Farm to School program, which includes activities for school gardens and farms so that children can learn about where their food comes from, and other factors using data sourced from U.S. Department of Agriculture and Health Resources and Services Administration data.

Why Vermont ranked at the top

Vermont was named the No. 1 state in the United States for providing healthy meals to its students, the report said, scoring 81.68 out of 100, the highest score for any state in the report. The Green Mountain State specifically cited Vermont's high participation in the Farm to School program.

"Vermont leads the nation in the percentage of schools with edible gardens, with 39% of schools having gardens," the report said. "Delaware, Georgia, and Massachusetts follow, each with at least 18% of schools utilizing this valuable resource."

The report also said that over 60% of Vermont school food authorities are involved in the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program, which offers free fruits and vegetables to encourage kids to eat more produce and reduce risk of chronic disease.

The five highest scoring places in the U.S. were Vermont, Hawaii, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, and Delaware.

Are school lunches free in Vermont

More: VT Gov. Scott puts universal school meals on the chopping block: Democrats say no way.

Vermont is one of the states the provides free lunches to all students after passing legislation in 2023. Republican Gov. Phil Scott threatened to cut the program as part of budget proposals this year, but so far, the proposal has been blocked.

Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont ranks No. 1 in healthy school lunches in the U.S., report says