Objective To investigate the basic situation of environmental sanitation in rural schools in Qinghai province, China, analyze the main problems of environmental sanitation in schools in different regions, and provide a basis for the government to formulate the policy of environmental sanitation in rural schools.

Methods A total of 177 primary and secondary schools from 16 counties were selected by stratified sampling in 2021. Data were collected through interviews and field surveys with the uniform questionnaires. The water supply and toilet conditions were analyzed by sub-regions(Xining, Haidong and pastoral area).

Results In 2021, the drinking water for students in rural schools in Qinghai province was mainly boiled water provided by schools(83.05%), and the water was mainly supplied by village and town water plants(80.79%); the coverage rate of sanitary toilets was 77.95%, and the qualified rate of men's squat toilet ratio(94.92%) was significantly higher than that of women's squat toilet ratio(70.06%)(χ²= 37.86, P < 0.05). The qualified rate of men's squat toilet ratio in rural schools in Xining and pastoral area was significantly higher than that in Haidong(χ²= 7.64, P < 0.05). The management of school toilets in Qinghai province was based mainly on students' participation(67.23%).

Results The coverage rate of sanitary toilets in rural schools in Qinghai province is not high, and the qualified rate of women's squat toilet ratio is low. It is recommended to further improve the coverage rate of sanitary toilets in rural schools, strengthen maintenance and management of sanitary toilets, and increase the number of squat toilets for women.