Introduction:

For many years it has been recognized that one of the most important scenarios to promote health is the school environment.

Objective:

To analyze the theoretical and practical trends of health promotion in the school environment in Latin America.

Methods:

Narrative review based on scientific literature published between 2007 and 2017 and linked in the databases Scielo, Redalyc, Lilacs and Ebsco.

Results:

The search yielded a total of 182 articles and 75 studies were selected that met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. There is a vision of the school as a favorable place for health care for schoolchildren, intersectoral work, policy development, knowledge and environments, as well as a relationship with education for self-care and the promotion of lifestyles. The tendency in terms of practices is to act in lifestyles from the health sector with a biologicist and hygienist approach.

Conclusions:

There is a gap between theory and practice because although broad perspectives of health promotion in the school setting are mentioned, the interventions are framed in the biomedical model, with a focus on risk and with incipient participation of the education sector.