Universal free lunch doesn’t just provide meals for children. New York City’s school food program improves students’ perceptions of bullying, fighting, and safety at their schools, according to a new study.

The report, from Washington D.C.-based think tank Urban Institute, used New York City students’ responses to annual surveys as well as school meal participation data from the city’s education department to investigate the impact of free school lunches. While previous research has found that free lunch boosts academic performance, this study was the first of its kind to look at its impact on school climate, or students’ perceptions of their learning environment.

Researchers found that all students, regardless of poverty status, reported improved perceptions of bullying, fighting and safety outside of school after free lunch was implemented.

“Universal free meals is sort of talked about as a program that can influence poor and near-poor students,” said Emily Gutierrez, who authored the report. “What I found pleasantly surprising was that it improves the school climate for all students. ... it’s sort of this whole school ripple effect.”

Read the full article about universal lunch by Pooja Salhotra at Chalkbeat.