A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 1,061 students to determine the epidemiological profile of drug abuse among elementary and high school students in the State public school system in Greater Metropolitan Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil, in 1995. Results showed drug abuse among both male and female students (27.2% and 24.1%, respectively). Drug abuse was more common in students over 18 years of age (27.1%), with grade/age discrepancies (70.7%), with higher classroom absenteeism (44.6%), and with higher social economic levels (A + B = 34.5%). The most frequently abused drugs among male students were alcohol (81.8%), solvents (18.6%), and marijuana (6.0%). Early alcohol abuse was also common (12.1 ±3.6 years). In addition to alcohol (78.6%) and tobacco (29.0%), the substances most commonly consumed by students were solvents (14.9%), anxiolytics (6.0%), and amphetamines (4.8%). The 1995 epidemiological profile of drug abuse among elementary and high school students in the State public school system in Cuiabá was similar data from nationwide surveys conducted in 1987, 1989, and 1993.