Introduction: Facilities and sporting goods in elementary schools are indispensable resources for the development of the physical education class and school sports. Consequently, it is important to know the number and condition of existing facilities plus the amount and condition of sporting goods and whether or not they are sufficient to serve the student population. Methods The study is descriptive in nature. Out of the 456 physical education teachers that work in the elementary schools of the State of Nuevo Leon (Mexico), 269 (60%) answered the questionnaires, specifically designed for this study, on facilities and teaching/sports materials. Results The survey results showed that of the elementary schools that have multisport paved facilities; 8.61% are in excellent condition; 66.99% are in fairly good condition; 21.05% are ordinary, and 3.3% do not have them. Only 14% have covered facilities. On the other hand only 3.35% of the schools have dirt playgrounds in excellent conditions; 27.27% are good; 57.42% are ordinary, and 11.96% do not have this type of facility. Physical Education instructors express that they do not have enough material for the practice of sports including balls for team sports. Recreational educational materials such as batons and rings were more common. Discussion Most of the elementary schools in the State of Nuevo Leon have sports facilities where physical education classes take place; however, they are in bad shape, they are not made according to official measurements, and there are no norms to regulate them. Nuevo Leon is a state with extreme weather conditions, especially during the summer, when temperatures may reach 40°C (104°F). This is an important factor to be taken into consideration, since only 14% of the schools that were analyzed have some form of covered, multisport facilities, which is very far from the ideal conditions that are very common in developed countries, e.g., indoor gyms (multisport complexes) with lighting, bathrooms, dressing rooms equipped with heating and A/C. A study carried out by the National Institute of Quality and Evaluation of Spain (2006), working with a sample of 3,756 students from 145 elementary schools point out that the higher or lower the number of Physical Education classes that teachers teach in open spaces, such as playgrounds or multisport track and field complexes, has a direct correlation with the higher or lower performance of students in this class (p<0.01). In addition, it was confirmed that the amount of sports and teaching material is insufficient for the number of elementary school students. Therefore, the quality of the teaching-learning process is not at the level required by our society. We consider that it is very important to design clear and timely strategies for the improvement of sports facilities (maintenance and equipment) and to provide teaching and sports materials for elementary schools, through education authorities, the National Sports Commission, the Sports Institute, the private sector, PTA`s and others.
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