Background: sufficient knowledge and preventive practices are crucial to control the spread of sars-cov-2. to date, some data regarding these issues have been reported among different professions, whereas such information is inaccessible in teachers. methods: an institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted between may-june 2021 in 3 randomly selected polish provinces, in 26 schools. an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire which included 10 questions related to covid- 19 knowledge and 13 questions about preventive practices was used. each correct answer to the question about covid-19 knowledge was given 1 point and question about preventive practices was given 1 to 3 point (max. 11 and 39 points respectively). bi- and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to identify the predictors of covid-19 knowledge; simple/multiple linear regression analyses were done for factors associated with practices. results: 464 teachers were included (response rate was 55%), 92% females, mean age 45.6 10.2 years. the average covid-19 knowledge score was 6.6 3.76 points; in 77% of teachers the knowledge level was >50%. the mean of preventive practices score was 15.8 1.78 points; 204 (55.1%, 95% ci 50.0% to 60.2%) respondents scored above the mean score of preventive practices. wearing a mask ( b : 0.09 95%ci 0.00-0.03), washing hands ( : 0.09 95%ci 0.00-0.02), avoiding crowds ( : 0.12 95%ci 0.01-0.07), and avoiding visiting relatives ( : 0.10 95%ci 0.00-0.07) were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with knowledge about covid-19. knowledge was the strongest predictor of avoiding crowds ( coefficient = 0.12). conclusions: significant number of school teachers had inadequate covid- 19 knowledge and were poorly engaged in covid-19 preventive practices. as knowledge level strongly influences adequate preventive behavior, additional educational inter- vention is urgently needed for teachers to help them better manage the pandemic at the school setting. key messages: this study assessed covid-19 knowledge and preventive practices, as well as related determinants among primary school teachers. this study assessed the attitudes of primary school teachers towards the covid-19 pandemic