Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of infectious disease outbreaks at schools in Nan′an Distract of Chongqing from 2011 to 2017, so as to provide the evidence for effective prevention of infectious diseases at schools. Methods The data of infectious disease outbreaks at schools were collected and analyzed by the descriptive epidemiological method. Results A total of 50 infectious disease outbreaks were reported from 2011 to 2017, accounting for 94.34% of the total incidents. There were 1 939 patients and no death cases were reported, with an average incidence of 3.30%. The incidence of respiratory infectious diseases was the highest, accounting for 66%. The second was intestinal infectious diseases, accounting for 34%. The infectious disease outbreaks peaked during April-June and September-December. The top three streets with the highest number of incidents were Nanping Town, Changshengqiao Town and Tushan Town. Primary schools were the major place, accounting for 54% of total 50 infectious disease outbreaks. Childcare facilities accounted for 30%. The average interval between the initial case and report of respiratory infectious diseases was longer than that between the initial case and report of intestinal infectious diseases, as well as the duration of the outbreaks. Conclusion Schools are the hotspot of infectious disease outbreaks. Respiratory infectious diseases are the key points and difficulties in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. Effective measures, such as epidemic surveillance of respiratory and intestinal infectious diseases, supervising schools to implement the preparation for infectious disease control, and further promoting vaccination efforts, are necessary to avoid the spread of infectious diseases.