Social skills (SS) relate to necessary behaviors for the maintenance of a successful interpersonal relationship, according to typical parameters within a culturally determined context. SS are systematically recognized as indispensable resources for children's development, besides being considered important for the social adjustment and success in the school environment, thus constituting a factor of protection and psychosocial adaptation. The general objective of this study was to characterize SS, behavioral problems and school performance of girls and boys from municipal public schools in Elementary School and to verify different associations among the variables previously suggested in empirical research. A total of 833 children participated of this research, being 390 girls and 443 boys, with an average age of 8 years and 5 months, students from the 1st to 5th grade of elementary school from 17 municipal public schools belonging to the municipal school network of two small and medium-sized country town of state of São Paulo. The classes were randomly selected from the 1st to the 5th grade of each municipality, totalizing 418 participants from Municipality A and 415 participants from Municipality B. As well, 46 teachers participated as informants. The children were evaluated for SS, behavioral problems and academic competence through the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS-BR), version for teachers; Regarding school performance, the School Performance Test (TDE), Provinha Brasil and Prova Brasil were used. The IDEB and the location of the schools were also collected, which were classified into categories. For the data analysis, descriptive statistics, comparisons, correlations and multiple linear regression were used. The results showed that the girls had a higher HS score than the boys, as well as girls showed fewer behavior problems, as indicated by the t test. There were no significant differences between the genders in school performance. In the comparisons between school grades, the analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference between the school grades in relation to the variables positive assertion, cooperation with peers, total problematic behaviors, externalizing and internalizing. Differences were also found between the grades in relation to school performance, suggesting a progressive increase during the grade of the Elementary School. The analysis of the location of schools suggested superior performance of nonperipheral schools in relation to peripheral schools. Pearson's correlations indicated a moderate association between most of the variables. Negative correlations between SS and behavior problems and between academic competence and behavior problems were identified, besides a positive correlation between SS and academic competence. The regression model tested indicated that the school performance assessed by the TDE was predicted, in a positive way and with statistical significance, by the SS. In relation to the school performance evaluated by Prova Brasil, the school locati...