Last year, Hawaii ranked 49th in the nation in school breakfast participation, according to an annual national report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). We thought we had nowhere to go but up.

Instead, we have dropped to 50th in the nation, according to FRAC’s newest report, which was released today. That means that here in Hawaii, too many of our keiki are not getting a good, healthy start to their school day.

Fewer than 4 in 10 low-income students who eat school lunch are also eating school breakfast in our state. In contrast, the top two states, West Virginia and New Mexico, have 84 percent and 70 percent, respectively, of their free or reduced-price lunch students also eating school breakfast.

If Hawaii were to get our rate up to 70 percent, nearly 20,000 more of our children would be gaining the benefits of school breakfast, and Hawaii would be getting an additional $5.6 million per year in federal funds.

We all know that hungry child can’t learn.

But many Hawaii families can’t afford to give a healthy breakfast to their children every morning. Hawaii has the 11th-highest poverty rate among the states, at 15 percent, according to the Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure, which takes into account the fact that we have the highest cost of living in the nation here.

Even families who can afford healthy food can have such busy morning schedules that they don’t have the time to sit down together for a good breakfast. Yet research shows that students who get a nutritious breakfast are better able to study and learn than students who skip the meal or don’t get enough to eat.

And school breakfasts are healthier than you think. While they might look and sound like regular grocery store products or local diner dishes, school breakfast menu items are required to be whole grain rich, low in sugar, high in key vitamins and minerals, as well as low in saturated fat and sodium. Juices are required to be 100 percent fruit/vegetable. Dairy products are required to be low-fat or fat-free.

There are proven ways to boost school breakfast, such as moving or extending breakfast to be served after the first bell as well as offering grab-and-go options. A handful of schools here in Hawaii are experimenting — and finding success — by changing the way that they serve breakfast.

For example, at Fern Elementary School, going to the cafeteria for breakfast is the first stop of the day for all their students. Before heading to class, Fern has morning announcements, prizes, cheers and other fun activities for the students in the cafeteria, and the staff encourages the children to eat breakfast.

More schools should follow the lead of schools like Fern. Not only will they be improving their student’s nutrition, but studies show that when children eat school breakfast, they also have lower rates of obesity, improved attendance, better behavior, and higher grades and achievement test scores.

The returns on investing in school breakfast are clear: better academic performance for our children, fewer behavioral problems for our teachers to handle, relief for struggling and busy families in the mornings, and millions more federal dollars coming to our state.

Ranking 50th in the nation. We can — and must — do better for our keiki, their families and our state’s future.

Nicole Woo is senior policy analyst for the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice.