Even though the study of polymers is included in the school secondary curriculum in Spain, all the signs are that this topic is not being adequately addressed in the classroom. For this reason, this paper focuses on two key factors for polymers teaching and learning at secondary level: teachers and textbooks. A qualitative methodology, based on semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of textbooks, has been used. Six High School teachers have participated in this research. Attempts have been made to find out teachers' opinion about introducing contents of polymers in the classroom by means of semi-structured interviews. The content analysis of textbooks used in many schools of Spain has been carried out through the application of a assessment questionnaire. The results obtained as regards the polymers suggest that: a) Teachers provide only a limited amount of time for this topic in the curriculum; b) Textbooks do not include a large part of basic contents; and c) The low level of knowledge of students is justified by a) and b).