By Ian Bush

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – If you want kids to stay in school and do better on tests, studies show regular breakfast puts them on the right track.

The most important meal of the day is served in the classroom at Francis Scott Key Elementary in South Philadelphia.

“The children tend to have more positive energy, they’re certainly more attentive, they’re awake and prepared to learn,” says principal Norris Eldridge.

He says it also keeps them out of the corner store, where soda and chips might be on the menu.

And to avoid the stigma some might assign to a student struggling with hunger.

“We offer all students, regardless of their household income, breakfast at no cost every day. And we’ve done that for the past several years,” Eldridge explains.

Wayne Grasela is senior vice president of the Division of Food Services in the School District of Philadelphia. He says it becomes part of the student’s routine.

“The importance of good nutrition is throughout the whole year,” says Grasela.