This article describes how school nurses estimated their goal attainment in view of the contents and methods of health counselling and their roles and possibilities as health promoters in the school community. Data were collected from the school nurses (n=31) of the Finnish European Network of Health-Promoting schools, using a semi-structured questionnaire specifically developed for the study. The response rate was 77 percent (n=24). The results show that the traditional aspects of health counselling were mostly covered well. Counselling on sexual health was partly achieved well, but contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted disease were less emphasised in school nurses health counselling. To foster the empowerment of pupils, parents and teachers, there is a need for the school nurse to adopt a more active participatory role as a health promoter in the whole school community. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)