The study looked at the emotional state of students of grades V-VI of ordinary secondary schools and gymnasiums, concentrating on the link between the parents' perfectionist sets and the children's emotional disorders. The subjects were 131 schoolchildren of grades V-VI of secondary schools and gymnasiums of Moscow and Elektrostal (Moscow Region) and their parents (66 subjects). The children and their parents were examined for symptoms of anxiety and depression. The parents were examined for perfectionist sets. The study discovered that symptoms of anxiety and depression were more clearly manifested in gymnasium students, a greater number of such students are likely to develop emotional disorders. The parents of gymnasium students demand more of their children, they display a higher level of perfectionism, which inevitably affects the children's emotional state.