You just finished your biology test that ran five minutes over, and as you head into the newly renovated dining hall, you’re met with a five-minute line. Do you wait or grab a quick snack at the dessert table? Either way, by the time you sit down, at least a third of your lunchtime has passed.
Lunchtime is the most important part of a KO schedule. You can fuel yourself for after-school sports, or have a casual chat with friends and relieve stress. Students at Kingswood Oxford are not able to fuel themselves properly with the allotted 30-minute period given for lunch. The number of variables limiting a student’s ability to create a nutritional meal is scary. Prolonged lunch lines, teachers and their repetitive life stories, and even finding a seat can cut your lunch period in half. If Kingswood Oxford were to extend the lunch period to 45 minutes or even an hour, students would be able to properly fuel themselves and have a safe haven, away from the busy school day.
As a student athlete, I am constantly in an uphill battle, balancing academics and athletics. With the spring season in full throttle, creating a healthy meal in a small time frame is a challenge. The California Learning Resource Network created a study, analyzing the impact of short and longer lunch periods, and they concluded that “A rushed lunch environment forces students to prioritize speed over mindful consumption. This can lead to suboptimal nutritional intake, affecting glucose regulation and cognitive function. Slower eating, facilitated by extended time, promotes better digestion, nutrient absorption, and sustained energy levels.” With the 30-minute lunch periods at KO, students consume the most readily available food. That usually consists of reheated pasta and some dessert. As a result of the poor nutritional choices, stress increases, and students aren’t fueled properly for after-school activities.
If a student only has 15-20 minutes of true consumption time, healthy eating will not cross their mind. The impact of shortened lunch periods in the United States is concerning. In 2010, it was estimated that 16.9% of children ages 2-19 were obese. Eight years later, the percentage rose to 19.3%. Now in 2026, that number has increased to 19.8%.
This may seem like a statistical rant, but you can’t hide the truth in numbers. In a study on shortened lunch periods by Nicholas Townsend it was said that “Shorter lunch breaks are associated with less healthy dietary choices by students. Schools should consider the impact that lunch-break length has on student dietary choice as well as on other behaviours.” The study also found that “Shorter lunch breaks lead secondary-school students to make less healthy dietary choices: multilevel analysis of cross-sectional national survey data according to the National Library of Medicine.”
At Kingswood Oxford, the yearly tuition is $51,450, not including the activity, book, and other assorted fees. KO families are paying an arm and a leg, so you would naturally assume students would have enough time to eat.
Looking past the negative dietary effects of a shortened lunch, students’ anxiety levels rise. Students at Kingswood Oxford are not able to socialize properly and de-stress themselves within the 30-minute period. With finals looming over every student’s head, lunch becomes a safe haven where students can chat and hang with peers. With the sub-optimal 30-minute lunch period at KO, anxiety levels only increase. Especially with the worry of being late to your next class.
Last year, I attended Hall High School right down the road, and I have to say, they prioritize the lunch period in ways KO doesn’t. As a result of my experience at Hall, I understand the value of that social connection at lunch. At Hall, the ratio of class length to lunch was 1:1, including Wednesdays, when all periods are 33 minutes.
At KO, classes range from 60-75 minutes, with a measly 30-minute lunch break; that’s a 2:1 ratio, depending on the day, not accounting for classes on Wednesday. At Hall, one would have a 6 hour, 45-minute school day, compared to KO, where the school day can exceed seven hours. The difference that stuck out to me the most was the limited social interactions between students. At Hall, leaving the cafeteria to take a step outside, to play spikeball or ping pong was normalized, a product of the longer lunch period. If an extension were made at KO, I believe a similar bond between students would sprout if KO were to extend the lunch period. Only adding on to the already amazing community.
Shorter lunch periods but with a longer day? Sounds like injustice to me. Lunch should be a time for students to socialize and relax. During the COVID pandemic, students were confined to their rooms and forced into dreadful Zoom meetings. As someone on the verge of entering middle school, being confined to an electronic screen felt like a death sentence. Many students felt something extremely similar, as shown in ScienceInsights research. “During COVID-era restrictions, when students were separated and social interaction was limited at meals, caregivers reported serious consequences. One parent described her daughter falling into “a great depression” when social circles were restricted at lunch. When children feel relaxed rather than rushed, they eat more of their food, enjoy it more, and return to class better prepared to focus.”
If Kingswood Oxford were to extend the lunch period to 45 minutes, students would eat healthier, and their anxiety levels would be greatly reduced. Additionally, school spirit would increase more, students would be inclined to come to more school events and stay after school, as they are less stressed and have deeper connections to peers. In a study by Ed Baines and Peter Blatchford in 2019, this topic was directly addressed, and they noted, “Evidence of further cuts to breaktime and shortening of lunchtimes take on more significance in the light of findings on children’s opportunities to meet offline with friends outside of school.” ~ “We also found a significant reduction in meeting up with peers outside of school such that nearly a third of children saw peers outside of school less than once a week.”
Students are not given the opportunity to properly socialize, and as a community, we need to make a change. Even a 15-minute extension to our current lunch situation would greatly benefit the KO community. As someone who was able to firsthand witness the benefit at Hall, we need to make a change KO!
