School Health

Summary

Your child spends more time at school than anywhere else except home. Schools can have a major effect on children’s health. Schools can teach children about health, and promote healthy behaviors. Physical education classes give children a chance to get exercise.

Schools work to:

• Prevent risky behaviors such as alcohol and tobacco use or bullying and cyberbullying
• Encourage healthy habits like exercise and healthy eating
• Deal with specific health problems in students, such as asthma, obesity and infectious diseases

The school building and environment should be a safe and healthy place for your child.

Related Issues

• 10 Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School Nemours Foundation
• Backpack Safety Nemours Foundation
• Children Who Won’t Go to School (Separation Anxiety) American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Health Problems at School American Academy of Pediatrics
• Playground Safety (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
• Your Teenager at School American Academy of Pediatrics

Statistics and Research

• Adolescent and School Health: Data and Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• CDC Healthy Schools: Data and Research Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2017 Department of Education
• Preventing School Violence Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Teenagers

• Back to School Nemours Foundation
• Backpack Basics Nemours Foundation
• School Violence: What Students Can Do Nemours Foundation

Specifics

• CDC Healthy Schools: Physical Activity Facts Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Food Allergies at School Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Healthy School Environments Environmental Protection Agency
• Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Know What to Expect at Your Child’s K-12 School or Early Care and Education Program Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Making Sure Kids Are Prepared if They Need Epinephrine Treatments in School Food and Drug Administration
• Mold and Indoor Air Quality in Schools Environmental Protection Agency
• Playground Safety Tips for Parents Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• School and Concussions Nemours Foundation
• School and Diabetes Nemours Foundation
• See, Hear, Speak: Are Kids’ Senses Ready for School? National Institutes of Health

Prevention and Risk Factors

• COVID-19 Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Growing Up with Vaccines: What Should Parents Know? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Reducing the Spread of Illness in Child Care American Academy of Pediatrics
• Safe Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic American Academy of Pediatrics

Start Here

• COVID-19: Schools and Childcare Programs Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Healthy Schools Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Student Health and Academic Achievement Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Find an Expert

• KidsHealth Nemours Foundation

Journal Articles

• School Health