Objective: We examined how students’ self-perceived poor health is associated with social background, family, and school situation.

Methods: Questionnaires distributed to 13,006 students in Sweden were examined using logistic regression analyses. The investigation focused on students reporting both poor self-rated health and subjective health complaints, referred to asself-perceived poor health.

Results: Besides age and sex, we found associations between self-perceived poor health and family structure, relationship with parents, and school-related factors such as truancy, grades, and perceived school climate.

Conclusions: Self-perceived poor health is related to both family and school related factors. Therefore, preventive health interventions need to include both school and family. Special attention should be given to truant students.