Objective To study the refractive status of primary and secondary school students in Shanghai, and to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of important refractive parameters. Methods Totally 9,086 students aged 6-15 years in Shanghai were selected. The distant visual acuity, diopter, ocular axial length and corneal curvatures were measured. The data were analyzed with SPSS 18.0. Results The prevalence of myopia was 53.4% in 6-15 years old students, 55.3% in female students; 51.6% in male students; 45.2% in 6-12 years old students and 76.7% in 13-15 years old students. The prevalence of high myopia was 4.8%, that of hyperopia was 4.8%. The risk of suffering from myopia was higher in girls than in boys. The risk of myopia and the negative values of refraction increased with age. OR value was over 3 from the age of 10. The mean spherical equivalent refraction (SER), axial length (AL) and corneal curvature (CC) of the right eye were (–1.96 ± 0.02) D, (23.92 ± 0.01) mm and (43.19 ± 0.02) D. The mean AL was 23.30 mm for emmetropia, 22.37 mm for hyperopia, and 24.66 mm for myopia, and increased gradually with the deepening of myopia degree. The mean CC was 43.08 D for emmetropia, 43.13 D for hyperopia and 43.30 D for myopia, there was statistical difference between myopia and emmetropia (P < 0.05). SER was negatively correlated with AL and CC, and AL was negatively correlated with CC. AL of females was shorter and CC was larger than males. AL increased with age, while CC didn’t change with age. Conclusions The students of primary and middle school in Shanghai have a high prevalence rate and a high degree of myopia. Diopter and ocular axial length should be measured for all students as regular screening. From the age of 10, it is necessary to strengthen the intervention, and the females deserve more attention.