To determine the prevalence of bullying in Brazilian schools and analyze its association with physical activity and body image, data were collected from 51.192 students. Boys are more frequently bullied (7.2%) and they also bully more than girls ( p ⩽ 0.01). Regarding body image, 26 percent of the girls considered themselves thin or very thin ( p ⩽ 0.01). For boys, we observed associations between the variable of being treated well by classmates and race. Bullying was associated to mother’s education. The data show the need for cross-sector actions based on educational policies and practices that can reduce and prevent bullying in schools.