Background: Anaemia is one of the most common and intractable nutritional problems in the world today. It has consequences on human, social and economic development, and associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality, especially in young children. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately two billion people are anaemic based on haemoglobin concentrations below recommended thresholds1. Objectives: The present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia among 5-12y old rural school children of low socio-economic status. Methods: School based cross sectional study was done in remote villages of Jagalur, Davangere. A total of 484 children from three government schools were selected over a period of one year. Children of both sexes were included in the study. Anaemia was diagnosed by Complete Blood Count (CBC) and Serum Ferritin was estimated by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results: Prevalence of anaemia was 30.4% as per WHO recommendations. Among these girls were highest (57.8%) when compared to boys (42.2%). Iron deficiency was the commonest cause occurring in 50.3% of children. Conclusion: Childhood anaemia continues to be a significant public health problem in school children aged 5-12y and iron deficiency is the commonest cause of anaemia.