The problem addressed by this study was how food insecurity influences the school environment and student academic achievement in grades kindergarten through eight (K-8). This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore how K-8 school leaders describe the influence of food insecurity on K-8 students' school environment and academic achievement. The population of the study was K-8 school principals, vice-principals, and teachers in a school district in San Joaquin County, California. The sampling method was purposive. The method of data collection was semi-structured interviews. The theoretical foundation that informed the development of the semi-structured interview protocol comprised the culture of poverty theory and resource and investment theory. The method of qualitative data analysis was inductive thematic analysis and open coding. MAXQDA qualitative data analysis software was used to analyze the qualitative data. The results demonstrated that school principals, vice-principals, and teachers perceive food insecurity to disrupt the school environment of all students, not just those experiencing food insecurity. The results also demonstrated that school principals, vice-principals, and teachers perceive food-insecure students to have lower levels of academic achievement than students who are not food insecure. These results were consistent with the theoretical foundation of the study. The results imply that K-8 school principals, vice-principals, and teachers in San Joaquin County, California, should investigate administrative and outreach remedies for food insecurity in and outside school, respectively. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]