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More Montgomery County children are eating free breakfasts, after a recently released report ranked the county near the bottom of the state in the number of eligible students who take advantage of the free meals.

The county, with 42 percent of its low-income students participating in the food program, ranked 19th in the state out of 24 jurisdictions, according to the report released in January by the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center in Washington, D.C.

In March, 12,478 elementary school students in the county ate breakfast for free. Of those students, 8,643 — or 69 percent — were eligible for free or reduced priced meals, according to school system data.

In middle schools and high schools, 6,399 students ate free breakfast, the data show. Of those students, 4,711 — or 74 percent — were eligible for free or reduced-priced meals.

Many of the eligible students who don't take advantage of the free food are opting to eat breakfast at home, said Kathleen C. Lazor, the school system's director of food and nutrition services.

Last school year, 44 percent of Maryland students eligible for free or reduced-price breakfast took advantage of the program, slightly below the national average, according to the nonprofit's annual School Breakfast Scorecard.

During the 2006-2007 school year, some 43 percent of eligible students throughout the state took advantage of the breakfast program, according to the report.

Overall, the state ranked 24th out of 50 in the number of low-income students who took advantage of the free or reduced-price meals last year, according to the report. The state ranked 26th during the 2006-2007 school year.

New Mexico, with 61 percent of its low-income students participating in the federal food program, was first in the nation. New Hampshire, with just 34 percent of those students eating free or reduced-price meals, ranked last.

Last summer, Montgomery County launched a free lunch program for students at John F. Kennedy High School, Argyle Middle School, and Georgian Forest, Strathmore and Bel Pre elementary schools in Silver Spring.

For years, national school leaders have factored nutrition into the persistent achievement gap between black and Hispanic students and their white and Asian-American peers. Typically, students who do not eat regularly have trouble focusing in class, officials said.

"If children have breakfast in the morning, they have better attendance and less visits to the school nurse," said Kimberley Chin, director of Maryland Hunger Solutions, which measured the state's participation in the school breakfast program.

Some schools in the state serve breakfast on exam days to help boost achievement. While that is helpful, breakfast should be served to students throughout the year, Chin said.

Participation in free or reduced-price meal plans varied throughout the state, according to the report.

Somerset County led the state, with 71 percent of low-income students participating in free or reduced-price breakfast or lunch plans. Howard County ranked last; some 20 percent of eligible students participated in the meal plans last school year.

Howard, Calvert, Charles and Carroll counties are among the wealthiest counties in the country, but they ranked near the bottom because of their inability to reach low-income children and get them the food services, according to the report.

Baltimore city began a universal breakfast program last school year for all children, regardless of income. Despite the program, it ranked 20th out of 24, as only 38 percent took advantage, according to the report.

Leaders of its school system have introduced "breakfast boxes" and reached out to principals to help increase participation, according to the report.