In the spring of 1979, New York City's public schools ranked in the 39th percentile on standardized California Achievement Test scores. In the fall of that year the New York City Board of Education ordered a reduction in the sugar content of foods served in the school feeding programs and banned two synthetic food colorings. In the spring of 1980 the achievement test scores soared to the 47th percentile nationally. During the following school year the schools banned all synthetic colorings and flavorings. Again the test scores increased, bringing the New York City schools up to the 51st percentile.

After BHA and BHT were removed, the test scores rose further, and in the spring of 1983 students in the New York City schools scored in the 55th percentile. Thus, over a four-year period, with the only change being an improvement in diet, scores in 803 public schools showed a mean academic percentile increase of 15.7%.

The study was conducted by Stephen J. Schoenthaler, PhD, Walter E. Doraz, PhD, and James A. Wakefield, Jr., PhD of California State University.
Source: the INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOSOCIAL RESEARCH, Vol. 8, No. 2, 1986.