Based on the measuring instruments used by scholars in China and abroad, we devised a questionnaire to study occupational stress of 500 secondary and elementary school teachers in Tacheng municipality in Xinjiang and examined its negative effects on teachers. They found that the occupational stress of secondary and elementary school teachers are considerable and affected their health and performance. The negative effects of occupational stress on teachers' health are markedly greater than the effects on work. There are significant gender differences in the occupational stress among teachers in different schools and with different lengths of service. We conclude that occupational stress is considerable among secondary and elementary school teachers and affects their health and work performance. (Contains 5 tables.)