OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to describe and analyze the teaching of pediatrics in medical schools of the state of Rio de Janeiro in terms of structure, hour load, insertion into the Medical course curriculum, objectives, syllabuses, learning scenarios, and evaluation methods. METHODS A cross-sectional study of 16 pediatric courses of medical schools of the state of Rio de Janeiro was carried out using exploratory and descriptive research methods. The data were obtained at the investigated schools from the Teaching Coordinators of the Pediatric courses, and institutional documents were also analyzed. RESULTS The insertion of pediatric education into the Medical course curriculum, the learning environments and the criteria for the selection of contents were not so different among the investigated courses. Pediatric education corresponds to 10.07% of the total hour load of the medical course; this rate is very close to the one recommended by Southern Cone pediatric associations. Pediatric medical education begins in the third year in most of the undergraduate courses. Cognitive development in the learning process and student-centered evaluation, predominantly based on written tests, are highlighted. Among the analyzed courses, the percentage of practical activities ranges from 0 to 60% in the pre-internship period. CONCLUSIONS The teaching of pediatrics in medical schools of the state of Rio de Janeiro gives priority to general medical education; in the pre-internship period, expositive lectures prevail; primary health care settings are used; evaluation is focused on written tests, placing special emphasis on cognitive aspects in most courses.