Abstract Aim: To study the magnitude of visual impairment among school children. Material & Methods: The current study was conducted in three schools of Lucknow district. Study subjects comprised all students in Class VIII and IX of all the three schools. A total of 432 students were enrolled for the study. Out of all, 220 were male and 212 were females. Results: Low vision (<20/60) in the better eye was found in 3.1% children; while 1.4% children had visual acuity equivalent to blindness (<20/200). No significant association was present between the gender of students and compliance with refraction (P>0.05) and regular use of spectacles (P>0.05). Conclusion: Refractive error is an important cause of avoidable blindness among rural school children. Behavior change communication among rural masses by spreading awareness about eye health and conducting operational research at school and community level to involve parent’s teachers associations and senior students to motivate students for use of spectacles may improve utilization of existing eye health services in rural areas.