Introduction. Instilling hygiene skills and developing positive behavior patterns in schoolchildren through hygiene education is a key tool in maintaining and improving the health of the younger generation. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of updated hygiene education for students in grades 5-11 in rural schools. Materials and Methods. Updated hygienic education in schools included, since 2015, teaching students of grades 5‒11 the discipline of health and healthy lifestyle as part of extracurricular activities; professional development of teachers on health issues; involvement of parents. A sociological survey was conducted, hygienic literacy, adherence to a healthy lifestyle, morbidity of students of grades 5‒11 in two rural areas were studied. Results. In the experimental area, 33.4% of 11-14-year-old students had a high level of literacy, compared to 24.8% in the control area (χ2=6.81; p=0.009), and 34% and 25.2% of 15-17-year-old students, respectively (χ2=3.9; p=0.048). There were 4% of children with a high commitment to a healthy lifestyle in the experimental area, and 1.1% in the control area (χ2=6.2, p=0.012), and 2.7% and 0.5% of adolescents (p >0.05). In children and adolescents in the experimental area, there was a strong correlation between commitment to a healthy lifestyle and hygienic literacy (rs=0.77 and 0.79). In the experimental area, the average long-term total incidence of digestive system diseases in children is 1.8 times lower, and the incidence of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue is 1.9 times lower, compared to the control area. According to the results of a comprehensive health assessment, the proportion of healthy students aged 11–14 and 15–17 in 2023 increased from 26.6% to 46.6% and from 27.4% to 41.9% in the experimental area compared to 2015 (p