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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX™
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

Free School Meals

Overview

  • Influence: Free School Meals
  • Domain: School
  • Sub-Domain: Types of schools
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Likely to have a small positive impact
  • Influence Definition: Provision of free school meals

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 2
  • Number of studies: 129
  • Number of students: 609,113
  • Number of effects: 129
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.04
  • Robustness index: 3

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
British Educational Research Journal Ashraf, Singh, Uwimpuhwe, Coolen-Maturi, Einbeck, Higgins, Kasim Individual participant data meta-analysis of the impact of educational interventions on pupils eligible for free school meals. 2021 Free or reduced lunch on reading 81 302,138 81 0.06
British Educational Research Journal Ashraf, Singh, Uwimpuhwe, Coolen-Maturi, Einbeck, Higgins, Kasim Individual participant data meta-analysis of the impact of educational interventions on pupils eligible for free school meals. 2021 Free or reduced lunch on math 48 306,975 48 0.00
TOTAL/AVERAGE 129 609,113 129 0.03
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